


Trine

by mirroredinkparadox, PhoenixRex



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Zombies, Alternate lore, Androids, Antagonist!Zelda, Asexual Link, Body Horror, Clones, Clones who are also androids, Conspiracy, F/F, FTM OC, Fairies are AIs, Gen, Human Experimentation, I have no idea what I'm talking about, Implied Cannibalism, M/M, Phantom Ganon is actually a character not just a puppet, Pseudoscience, Riffs on several games, Technobabble by a Tech Dummy, The Goddesses aren't actually divine but they do love to play god, essential moral: corporations are Bad, more tags to be added as we go along, sort of not really, that's actually not it but whatever, trans OC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-06-10 04:17:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 63,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6939292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mirroredinkparadox/pseuds/mirroredinkparadox, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixRex/pseuds/PhoenixRex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the nuclear wastes of the Wilds, Hyrule City suddenly goes dark. Zelda Kingsley has staged a hostile takeover of Castle Corporation, determined to claim her birthright and shift the corrupt course of the city onto one she controls. But the ancient grid laid by Trine Industries hides dark secrets, and the city's only chance for survival from the onslaught of a radioactive zombie threat is one disgruntled security guard, his mouthy AI Navi, and a surly hacker out of the infamous Gerudo Syndicate. Can they get along long enough to stop Zelda from using the shadowy Triforce program to her own ends? Or will the secrets of Trine destroy them, and the last piece of civilization left?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So! It's been three billion years and then some, but here it is. Fic. And it's not...well, whatever, I'm not getting into it, but basically this is a piece I started forever ago, but never went anywhere with, rediscovered, and realized I'd really like to work on. You can all thank Z (PhoenixRex) for her Zelda U hype because otherwise this never would have happened. It's not related though, but her yelling ruined my life.
> 
> Anyway, this will draw mostly on OoT and MM stuff, but there may be weird veiled references to TP and SS. I'm not going to bother justifying it, that's just what I'm working with brainwise. Z is not technically writing this, but she's helping with lore and technical dev and the like. This isn't beta'd, I try to read over it but that usually ends with me wanting to stab someone.
> 
> One last thing; Link's last name is Z's reference to another fic she attempted to get me to read but for whatever reason I never did beyond like, the very beginning. Um. Hylian_Shadow's Future Hyrule: Courage Never Dies? That. Pretty sure. You'd have to ask Z.
> 
> On and on then.

_Sequence?_

_T_  
_R_  
_I_  
_F_  
_O_  
_R_  
_C_  
_E_

*pause*

_Sequence accepted, program activated. Clearance level requested._

_715124514_

*pause*

_Clearance level verified. Welcome, Madame Engineer._

The screen's light barely cast enough light to see the keyboard projection, but he was well accustomed to the lack of light. More and more codes were requested; he entered them stiffly, uneasily watching the screen, every pause making his heart jump before it settled with each verification. Lines of green melted into blue, to red, and finally to white, the lack of color so brilliant it looked like gold. Behind him, he heard the creak of the old door in the wind, the shutters around him rattling – it sounded like something trying to break out of a locked box.

Or something trying to get in. He snorted, and his lips curled into a grin, the expression not quite reaching his gold eyes. His fingers flitted across the keyboard, the command sequences flying across the screen with equal speed. His hands began to shake.

The final request appeared with a sullen ding.

_Rewrite command received: Verification required._

The cursor flashed at him insistently; the words seemed to waver before his eyes. Slowly, he entered the command.

_Proceed._

His breath whooshed out of him; he rose too quickly, the abrupt movement making the dim room dip and spin around him. With a shaky exhale, he raked a hand through messy hair and cast a glance over his shoulder at the ajar door, and then at the screen.

_Rewrite in process.  
Remaining: 30 seconds._

Hastily, he began to shut down his own processor, stowing it in the small case. The keyboard projection flickered and went out. The countdown continued in bright white numbers.

_15 seconds remaining._  
_14 seconds remaining._  
_13 seconds remaining._

This was excruciating. He began to move to the exit, tossing another glance at the implacable countdown.

_10 seconds remaining._  
_9 seconds remaining._  
_8 seconds remaining._  
_7 seconds remaining._  
_6 seconds remaining._  
_5 seconds._  
_4 seconds._  
_3._  
_2._  
_1._

*pause*

_Rewrite complete._

He didn't even see the final words.

_Triforce program successfully rewritten. Grid consistency checks offline. Defense programs shutting down. Hyrule City entering blackout._

 

The training room lights flickered and went dead in an instant. Link froze, his punch skidding across the leather surface of the bag.

“The hell...” A low buzz caught his attention, and the lights whirred back on, dimmer and flickering constantly.

 _“All personnel, please report to the main lobby. I repeat, all personnel, please report to the lobby.”_ Groaning, Link pivoted and stalked from the room, barely pausing to grab his uniform jacket as he went. 

_“This is not a drill.”_

“Navi, we've got a situation.” A pop and a crackle.

“I can't access the grid, Link.” He frowned, dodging a trio of engineering interns.

“What do you mean you can't-”

“I don't know. Backup programs are in effect. We're running on leftover Trine tech right now.” 

“Link!” He twisted, slowing as he descended the stairs to let Ruto catch up. Her custom armor glowed a sullen yellow – she must have been in the middle of recharging.

“Are you going to be alright?” He jerked his head at the armor. Ruto shrugged.

“It will hold. I might have to dunk myself in one of the recreation tanks tonight, but that is for later. What is happening? I just got in from my patrol.” They wove downstairs together, surrounded on all sides by the stream of employees headed for the lobby.

“No idea. Navi says she can't access the grid.” Ruto's eyes narrowed, and she cocked her head.

“We have the generators in place, they should have activated by now,” she said, snagging his sleeve almost unconsciously to pull him out of the way of a couple of senior engineers running past them in the other direction – probably looking for the problem.

They strode into the lobby and split for their respective groups, Ruto joining the maintenance crews – mostly Zoras, a few Gorons, and the rare suited up Kokiri – while Link melted into the ranks of the Castle Corporation's security forces. His commander shot him a look, brow furrowing at his bare chest. He shrugged and she rolled her eyes, before looking forward.

The lobby was all pale, polished marble, with benches lining the walls of the same material, each one etched with the stylized gold wings cradled by the company's motto in deep royal blue, to match the enormous marble slab behind the reception desk. The logo was obscured from Link's position by arcing screen set over the desk; right now, it was all static and the occasional spark, the greeting audio slowed down and deepening in broken spurts like a broken pull string doll. Shaking himself, Link eased forward to stand just behind his commander and the head foreman.

“What's the deal, Impa?” He nodded to Darunia, who smirked back.

“It's Commander, lieutenant.” Impa's eyes were flicking across the lobby, noting who was where and monitoring the wrist-mounted display in front of her all at once.

“We've got some communications – all old tech. Sounds like there's sections of the city going dark all over. Think it could be a blackout.” Link narrowed his eyes up at the Goron, who shrugged, studying a tablet alight with more and more incoming messages.

A skittering sounded in his ear.

“Navi?”

“-pproaching hostil-” More crackling, and the sharp whine of feedback. He hissed, jerking his head, and Impa's eyes snapped to him.

“Lieutenant?”

“Something's up with Navi-”

“Do you hear that?” They both glanced at Darunia. His eyes narrowed, then widened. Link strained to hear.

“What, the generators?” But there was something else – a whine-

“Get down, now!” Darunia swept an arm forward, forcing Link and Impa forward and down; all around them, others dropped at the Goron's roared command. Link twisted and glanced up. 

The windows overhead bulged, cracks spidering across their surface. The whine rose in tone and volume, and the building seemed to shiver before the glass burst. Shards rained in front of the antique wooden doors now buckling in their frame before crashing to the ground in a dull thunder. Dark armored figures spilled inside, the first wave hefting crackling energy shields, the next carrying stun batons and stun guns. A few hefted massive net guns – meant for bringing down the Gorons, likely. Impa was on her feet and ordering everyone to hold; even as Link struggled upright, he could see they were outnumbered, with more people rappelling in through the windows and more still storming in from somewhere inside – who the hell? _How_ the hell-

“Your cooperation is required. All weapons are to be released. Lay them on the floor, step back, turn to face the wall and kneel with your hands behind your head. Now, please.” The distorted voice was being broadcast through the lobby. He could see several of the senior engineers being led in by more of the invaders. A hand curled around his arm and pulled him upright; Impa placed herself between him and the soldiers filing in, mouth near his ear.

“We need to enact the Silver Protocol. I'll signal you. Here.” The drive was pressed into his hand before he was turned and nudged toward the wall. He closed his fingers around it and tucked it into his jacket's inner pocket, sinking to his knees as commanded. He turned his head just so, to keep Impa in his periphery.

“This is Alpha. All command units accounted for. Personnel checks are begun. Send her in.” The speaker, differentiated only by the stripe of silver down one shoulder, moved to stand by the desk, hands behind their back. Another group strode in, steps a regulated pattern of soldiers in formation, but under their heavy footfalls was the clean click of heels on marble.

“Well done, Alpha.” Link stiffened. Seven years was a while, but not long enough to forget-

“Zelda. What are you doing here?” Impa's voice had the same dry, clipped tone she used with particularly difficult clients, but there was a dangerous edge to it.

“Impa. So cold. Is that any way to speak to an old friend's daughter? I'm hear to speak to the Board of Directors.”

“There's nothing else to discuss-”

“Make no mistake,” the crunch and grind of glass beneath a dainty step, a uniform shuffle around her, “this is a courtesy, Impa. I will be meeting with the Board, and they will hear me out, but whether or not they cooperate, I will implement my father's will.”

“You weren't _included_ in your father's will,” Impa snapped. Zelda paused. Link could imagine her expression – he doubted her little quirks of personality had changed by being disowned.

“Ma'am. We're getting an anomalous signal. Shall I send Delta to investigate?”

“No. Secure the Board and see them to my father's office. I want Delta on perimeter. Beta will secure personnel. The usual way should do. Impa, if you would do me the honor of accompanying me?”

“I'll stay with my people,” came the stiff reply. Zelda chuckled.

“Very well. Until next time. Alpha, the Board. I'll be in the office.” Link whipped his head back to face the wall as the footsteps moved past him and the soldiers around them began moving through the ranks. They were separated into groups – security forces split up, maintenance people placed in groups of mixed focus, clerical staff holed up together, throughout the first floor. Link was ushered into a room with the front desk receptionist, the trio of engineering interns he and Ruto had seen earlier, and Ruto herself. Eselle, the receptionist, took charge the moment their guard was outside, and ordered the interns to stay out of the way. She might be the only one who knew every security protocol besides Impa – Link wouldn't be surprised if she'd caught on sometime earlier and been prepared since.

“Silver Protocol,” he told Ruto, who inclined her head in understanding.

“Of course.” She turned in a little circle.

“Darunia's office. Luck is with us. I can create a couple things from all the detritus he has around. We will see to that, Eselle will distract the guard, you will duck out through the old escape hatch.”

“You're sure Darunia hasn't just fused it shut? It isn't as if he could use it,” Eselle said. Ruto frowned.

“I doubt it. Even if he cannot, someone else could. He is not one to get rid of something that might yet be of use.”

“The hatch isn't keyed into the grid?” Link asked, following her to a pair of rough carved stone statues sat in the corner facing one another.

“It is prewar technology, so no. I would wager Trine kept them all off-grid to provide a backdoor if ever something went wrong with the defenses they developed.” She crouched and trailed her fingers over the conspicuous hatch's surface; a hazy projection rose with a swipe of her fingers, and solidified when she twisted a raised triangle of metal at one corner.

“Waters, but ancient tech like this is touchy at the best of times – ah, there.” She rocked back on her heels as the hatch hissed and slipped into the floor. 

“So. What do you need?” He shrugged.

“Don't worry about me – once I'm in the city there's no way they'll be able to tail me.”

“Still – they are broadcasting some sort of jamming signal, I can tell it is interfering with your tech.” Link's brows drew into a furrow, and he flicked a glance over her. She waved a hand.

“I am fine – it seems like it only effects upper level functions, and the suits we Zoras need are almost passive category. Focus. I can make some old fashioned slag grenades easily enough.”

“Anything you can make fast, Ruto. They're probably on a watch schedule,” he reminded her, and she nodded, turning away.

“Very well. You three. Let us put those brains to good use for once.”

 

It took more time than he would have liked – but he had to be grateful the guards didn't remove any and everything that could be of use to them from the room. Then again, maybe they figured three interns and a maintenance worker couldn't actually come up with anything that might hurt them. Link could see that; the Zoras weren't exactly known for innovative weapons tech, not like the Gorons, but he and Ruto had run in the same circles in school, pestering Darunia and Biggoron for little tech to mess with in between exams. 

“They are crude, but they will serve their purpose. They will not do any great amount of damage to any of these people, but you might utilize them as a distraction.” She pressed the bundle of triangular grenades into his hands, and cupped his jaw.

“Be careful, my friend.” He stashed the grenades and laced his fingers through hers.

“Take your own advice. They'll be pissed you let me get away.” He pressed a quick kiss to her knuckles, and glanced at Eselle.

“Look after yourselves.”

“We will be fine, Link. Get out of here.” He lowered himself down and swung his legs into the hatch, cast one last salute over his shoulder, and scooted himself forward.  
He slipped under fast, hearing the hatch whoosh shut above him before he was swept forward. At some point he heard something pop in his ears right before he spilled into a dark corridor with a muffled thump. Sinking his teeth into his lip to stop a surge of oaths, he rolled to his feet and pressed himself to the wall, glancing back and forth. No one to be seen, and when he listened, all he heard was the thrum of the generators.

“-ink? Link! Am I online again? I whited out.” He heaved a sigh of relief.

“Hey, Navi. What the hell was that? Were you knocked offline?”

“I – I'm not sure. It shouldn't be possible-”

“We're on Silver Protocol. We'll bring it up when we rendevous with Saria,” he interrupted, raking a hand through his hair and checking his stash of grenades. Besides those, he still had the knife in his boot. 

“Hey, run a diagnostic on my armor, Nav?” The faintest clicking, and then Navi's little holographic form shimmered into sight in front of him.

“We're out of the range of whatever they used to jam your tech. We should be fine.”

“Fuck, good. Where are we?” He reached up and activated the bottle green visor's interface. After a moment, a map of Castle Corps. headquarters came up, with a little gold arrow to indicate where he was.

“It seems we're in maintenance. There's a hatch to the Trine grid access nearby. From there we can get to the Wilds, double back to the Green and meet up with Saria.”

“Point me, and get a message to Saria. She needs a heads up.”

“Got it.” A white line spooled across the map to lead him forward. After a brief once over, he adjusted his jacket, activated the light energy armor, and began to move, first at a walk and then a loose jog.

“Link, I'm getting some chatter. Sounds like you've got some of Zelda's goons after you.” And what the hell was she even _doing_? 

“I can't believe she'd pull something like this. Kingsley's not even cold in the ground. I bet she didn't even wait until they sealed the mask on.”

“Rumor has it she wasn't at the funeral.”

“Didn't attend or wasn't invited?”

“No idea. Our best bet is to stay out of a fight, Link. This armor isn't meant for the kind of firepower they've got.”

“Noted.” He wound around one corner and then the next, slowing when he heard the voices.

“Someone got out? How?” A crackling tone, distorted beyond interference.

“Irrelevant. This is an old Trine Industries property, who knows how many escape routes there are. Plans indicate the fugitive is in your vicinity Beta. Deal with him.”

“Understood Alpha. Beta 1 out.” Link flicked a glance around him. Those weird alcoves maintenance were so fond of were set evenly along the wall just a few inches above his head – easily a little above the average Hylian's eye level. He bounced up and grabbed at the edge, levering himself into the shadows and dropping into a crouch. Sure enough, in a moment he heard the sound of people slinking in formation. Smart enough not to want to alert him, but not breaking pattern. Probably not too flexible in combat.  
They passed by, one then two then three then two, a diamond of people with no true rearguard. Link bit his lip, palmed a grenade, and slipped out a moment after they went by. He found the little pin, tugged it, and flung it after them. It was probably too low-tech for their scanners, but depending on the level of their tech, his armor-

“Sir! Behind us!”

Was not. He bolted, winding around and cutting twice off of Navi's route to wind out of the way. This wasn't too different from running the roofs of the outer city. A little darker, not as many housewives threatening to rip him in half for disturbing their gardens-

Something exploded behind him. 

“Kill not capture, eh?” 

“Less joking more running, funny guy,” Navi snapped. Something impacted with the stone just ahead of him; he was betting a pulse rifle. That didn't really fall in line with the _kill_ bit, but maybe they wanted his tech intact? He vaulted up into another alcove around another corner – for fuck's sake, why was maintenance a maze? Did they expect this sort of crap? He could hear feedback crackling around the corner, and then a startlingly crisp tone.

“Beta, we've identified our little fugitive. I want him alive.”

“Understood ma'am. Intel?”

“It's Link Masters – one of Impa's pet projects. He's with the Knights who do outer city patrols; crafty, resilient, stubborn. He's always been a step above the others here – expect resistance, and do not underestimate him. He is more than a match for you.”

“Acknowledged. Beta 1 out.” A line of bright text meandered across his visor.

 _It looks like Zelda is still holding on to a flame for you._ He bit back a snort, slipped another grenade out, and inched to the alcove's edge. They'd fanned out, but who he assumed was Beta 1 was still out front, a few steps ahead of the others.

A few steps was enough. He flung himself forward, wrapped his arms around the man's neck, and hurled his body out. Halfway down he twisted, smashing most of his body into his victim and thrusting him into his squad, active grenade wedged into the space under his arm, lodged in his armor. He didn't wait for the explosion, throwing himself into a roll and then up to his feet to run for the hatch he could see blinking up ahead.

“Navi, need you to-” The hatch swept open with a tinny squawk as the AI overrode its programming, and he slung himself inside. His back slammed into the sleek metal, driving the breath from his body, but he didn't have time to breath anyway before he was dumped into a dark, musty room. Navi's holoform spun overhead.

“Link? I sealed the hatch, but I've only got so much command down here. I don't know if Zelda's people are down here or not, but we have to move.” He offered a thumbs up and sucked in a ragged breath but didn't move. Navi huffed.

_“Link.”_

“Yeah, yeah, I'm going,” he swatted at her, ignoring her indignant squawk when his hand cut through the hologram.

“This is grid access?” She turned in the air, and nodded.

“Yes.” He blinked. It was a room, but he could see, beyond the ornate arch to his right, a cavernous tunnel. When he squinted, night vision activated, and he could just make out other arches and arrows etched into the walls.

“Navi...is the grid an...actual grid under the city?” She chimed.

“I'm not sure. It...does seem that way.” She paused, and chimed again, a little more forceful.

“We can't go very far from what little I can see. There's no proper maps in our database, but I think I see where the Wilds access point is. I'll have to guide you myself.” Link rolled to his knees and shoved himself up. After checking to see the flashdrive was secure, and Ruto's grenades easily accessed, he nodded to Navi.

“Okay. Let's go.” She drifted off down the enormous hall, and he followed.

It was as linear as he had thought – a literal grid. He didn't understand how this had anything to do with the grid that powered and defended most of Hyrule City – he couldn't see any access ports for maintenance bots, control terminals, or even guide lights on the floor and walls.

“Here.” He stopped at the door and frowned. It was the kind of antique the front doors of the headquarters were, heavy carved wood without any tech he could see at all. After a second and a rude snort from Navi he chose to ignore, he pushed on it.

It swung open without a sound.

“Primitive...” The new room was a little antechamber, with more wood – paneling on the walls this time, and a little table with an empty clay vase. The next door was wood too, but it had a little panel of metal and a screen set into it. An old fashioned keypad was set beside it. 

“Uh, Nav?”

“I don't know if it's sophisticated enough for me to interface with,” she said, frowning. He scowled.

“Then we're stuck.”

“Maybe not?” She drifted to the keypad.

“It's lowtech, but it's not too bad. Here, you can see where certain numbers are more worn than others. I can give you all available combinations. It's only three digits. Not real secure or anything.” Link padded forward and scrubbed a hand over the grubby pad. Sure enough, some numbers showed more wear than others.

“Okay. Try...426?” Minor tone beep.

“Nope.” Two more tries and the door groaned open, the little screen offering a merry, “Welcome Madame Engineer!” as they walked in.

“Huh.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Is this a lab?” Navi asked, twirling in place.

“A really fucking old one, sure,” Link said, eyeing the tables as they moved further in.

“Why would a lab need Wilds access?”

“It wasn't the Wilds back then. If the few plans I've pulled up are right, this used to go out to some sort of enclosed courtyard. A place to relax for this engineer maybe.” He slowed and swore.

“Navi, do you see anything I can use for radiation?” She froze in place.

“Oh. Right. You only have the light gear, none of your proper armor. Oh, _damn_ it.”

“Calm down,” he muttered, glaring in the gloom. “This was a Trine lab, there might be something in here.”

“There's a computer here I might be able to work with,” Navi said, zooming across the room.

“Tell me if anything good comes up. I'll look around.” He paused when he saw the control bank on the far wall.

“Working lights, do you think?” After a second, a soft glow bloomed from the edges of the wall – strips of lights in each corner, and more forming triangles of light on each wall.

“Really big on threes, these guys.”

“It's called _Trine_ , Link,” Navi groused. “It's a reference to the three sisters who founded it.”

“Spare me the history lesson Nav. Need to get out of here, remember?” She sparkled with irritation, but turned back to the computer, spiraling over the angular console. Link circled the space. 

Most of the space was dominated by an enormous three sided platform; one corner was depressed, with a waist-high bar set in front of it. A screen glinted off its surface, an idle light flashing beside it. Five tables – two examination tables, three work benches, really – were arranged against one wall. The computer Navi investigated was beside the door Link assumed went out to the Wilds. Another, small monitor was to its left, in front of the only chair. Sleek, opaque tanks sat across from the tables. Link couldn't see what was in them, or even some sort of label, besides a plaque with weird symbols he couldn't parse, and a shadow of whatever was inside.

“Hey, Link. Come here.” He turned and returned to the computer.

“What's up?”

“This is apparently one of the founder's private labs – Engineer Farore. There's a lot of technical specs here...experiment notes...I'm surprised this is still here, but – oh!” She jerked back, and the lights died all at once.

“Shit, Navi! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, it's – you!” Link jerked back out of reflex when Navi zipped past his nose, pointing up at the platform.

“You're the archivist system!” Link followed her gesture and gaped.

A soft glow erupted from the center of the central platform, and within it, a towering hologram of a woman stood. 'Hair' coiled freely around her head, as if she was underwater. Lines of silver skittered over her skin – flashes of gold and green code lit heavy lidded eyes, and what appeared to be bangles of ivy covered various bits of her body. She smiled down at them.

“Ah. Another FAIRY system. Navi, was it?” Link raised an eyebrow.

“You're a FAIRY too?” Saria had told him Fealty Artificial Intelligence Reserve Yeoman systems were old tech,but he hadn't thought she meant _Trine_ old.

“I am the Great FAIRY of Secrets, Madame Engineer Farore's personal assistant and archive guardian. What can I do for you?”

“We're looking for something to guard against radiation for a few hours.”

“Ah. Well. I can see we've experienced several shutdowns since Trine was placed on lockdown. Allow me a moment to search for something to suit your needs.” Navi burbled a thanks, and the Great FAIRY's eyes fell shut. The glow brightened for a breath, and then the depression in the platform sank with a hiss. Something rumbled beneath them; Navi squeaked and winked out of sight, while Link plastered himself against the nearest wall, eyes wide. A deep groan echoed through the halls, something ground against the bottom of the platform, and then it all stopped. Navi shimmered back into sight out of the corner of Link's eye, and the glow around the Great FAIRY dimmed.

“Here we are. I'm afraid it's an experimental piece. Madame Engineer Farore had very nearly completed it before the lockdown. It is, for all intents and purposes, functional.” She smiled.

“If that is all?”

“Uh. Yeah. Thanks.” Navi echoed him, and the Great FAIRY chuckled.

“Very well. Until next time, Lieutenant Masters, Navi.” Link froze as she faded away, but he was distracted from her address by a new tank rising from the depression on the platform. Navi flitted forward.

“Um. So this is – oh. Looks like it needs you to verify, Link.”

“We don't have credentials-”

“It says your name though.” Link blinked and joined her. Sure enough, the screen on the bar set between them and the tank indicated it required him to verify. He stared at his name blinking up at him.

“How the hell is this here?” He hesitated. There wasn't any interface to interact with, just the screen itself, and a little divot beneath it he'd missed earlier. It looked like it might be a scanner. On a hunch, he dragged his thumb across the indent. 

“Access authorized. Clearance level 615124514 ex 3. Knight Lieutenant Link Masters.” Green light burst from seams he'd overlooked in the dim, and steps unfolded from the platform's side. The tank buzzed as it opened, an inner chamber rotating to reveal a sleek set of armor.

“Whoa.” He padded up the steps, Navi floating just over his shoulder.

“I wasn't expecting this.”

“I'll bring up technical specs on your visor, Link.” He watched the information scroll by, littered with more of those archaic symbols Trine seemed so fond of. 

_A set meant, with proper upgrades and modifications, to enhance the wearer's natural abilities, allow them to endure even the most extreme of conditions, and confer certain access to Trine's most arcane experimental technology and their extensive archives, said to contain secrets about Hyrule known only to the company's reclusive, eccentric founders, the three Madame Engineers, Farore, Nayru, and Din._

“Sounds...”

“Ridiculous,” Link muttered. “But it does have radiation protection. It looks better than our gear, even. All I need.”

“It's designed to be put on by yourself, but it looks like the tank can do it too,” Navi said. Link stepped up to it. It looked like one of the old sets you occasionally found on skeletons outside the city, if a little varied; sleek, thin plates locked together over the abdomen in a fractal pattern, meant to flex with the muscles there. Over those sat an angular chestplate; gauntlets and boots in the same material matched it, with more of the interlocking plates covering the parts of the legs and arms those didn't. Underneath it all was a sleek black bodysuit. Link eased the armor away to get a closer look at it, and found padding at the joints, extra light armor around the throat, under the arms, and at the wrists and ankles. The sleeves extended over the hand into a sort of fingerless glove – actual gloves of a similar light armor to what was integrated into the suit sat under the gauntlets. 

“Navi.”

“Yeah?”

“It's _green_.” She rang with irritation.

“Is now really the time to complain about the color, Link!?”

“Pipe down,” he flapped a hand at her and scanned the tank. His visor indicated it was the same tech Ruto used to suit up before heading out on patrol herself – nothing experimental there.

“Alright then.” He pulled up the control interface and activated the suiting procedure. The armor was moved aside, and he got into the bodysuit while the tank prepped the armor itself. His uniform jacket he bundled and tossed on a table to grab on the way out, before stepping into the tank, placing his feet and hands where indicated, and waiting.  


The tank slid closed, and the armor was placed onto him. He could feel seals activating, the plates rippling a little as they locked over his body, and hear the soft clicks and hisses as everything came together. After a moment, the tank opened again, and the Great FAIRY's voice sounded around them.

“Hostiles approaching. Grid access locking down. Proceed to the nearest exit. I will provide warning lights to guide you.” Red-gold lights bloomed underfoot, leading toward the door.

“Come on, Link!” Something hissed by his ear, and he twisted in surprise. A new panel was sliding away inside the tank, revealing a collapsible helm that matched the set. He snagged it and pulled it on, retracting his visor before snatching up his jacket and striding toward the door. No time to see if there was any storage to be utilized in the suit.  


The door led into another antechamber, with a large screen on one wall and a little coat stand on the other. The screen seemed to display outside conditions – a radiation meter, wind gauge, and a cheery temperature reading glowed out at him.

“Navi?” It hadn't even occurred to him she might not have the same access to his suit's systems as his custom visor.

“Here, Link.” She sounded a touch faint. “Give me a minute, I'm almost done. There.” As clear as she'd been before he'd suited up. She shimmered into existence.

“I will seal the lab behind you, Lieutenant. Good hunting.” Link shook off the unease the Great FAIRY's words inspired and strode up to the door. A sequence of lights winked at him, before a lock disengaged. A little compass bar bloomed at the top of his UI.

“It looks like we're northeast of the Green. Radar's up. Keep an eye out.” Without grid access or Castle Corp. systems, Navi wouldn't be able to alert him of hostiles unless they were close enough to register to _him_. Link rolled his shoulders. He'd worked a normal blackout in the outer city once. Same principle; eyes peeled, ears perked, butt clenched.  


All that remained of the Trine Industries courtyard was a series of crumbling arches, all deceptively delicate looking and crawling with greenery. Link could pick out slivers of colored enamel, long since cracked and faded, as he passed beneath them. The walls were all dust, save for a few chunks of rubble. The sun shone as cheery as can be overhead, not a cloud in the sky. The low hanging smog that was ever present around the city made up for it.

He picked his way forward, wishing he hadn't dropped Epona off with Malon's father before work today. The Wilds were a run through fire on a good day, but on foot, ugh. And worse, the Greens weren't even technically part of Hyrule City. They were some old Trine Industries worker village that had been refurbished for the Kokiri as radiation levels dropped, threatening their ability to operate in the outside world. Saria had explained it to him once upon a time, but no one had a great idea of the whys of any of the Warborn. Zoras, Gorons, Kokiri, and a half dozen others had hazy pasts loosely linked to Trine Industries. Whatever had forced them to shutdown – or lock down, as the Great FAIRY said – had obliterated a lot of their public access records. What remained couldn't be accessed, even by the best hackers, though there were rumors the Gerudo Syndicate had people who could do it. Link snorted. 

The Gerudo had it worse than the Kokiri. Trine's infamy didn't have a lot of reason anyone could remember behind it, but they'd left a deeper mark even than the grid. The Gerudo had been thrown out of Hyrule City to make a nomadic living in the wasteland of the Wilds. Nowadays, there was only the Syndicate, and criminal empires didn't make for a great family environment. A few had returned to the city in secret, but almost always were found out – like Malon's mother, which left her young daughter and husband in semi-exile for harboring her in the first place, pushed out to the half destroyed outer city with its unreliable grid maintenance and in places, unfettered access to the Wilds. But it was still part of Hyrule City, and there were a scant few defenses besides. Didn't make it any more desirable a place to live.

He was on an old road – one that led out of the city to the ancient highways, which were more or less as badly off as everything else in the Wilds. There was always noise around Castle Corp. about restoring them, usually when someone on the City Council started yowling about overpopulation. It was true the city only had so many resources, but there wasn't anywhere to go. Some of the highways that were mostly intact were maintained though, by the Syndicate and the Kokiri, but the latter was heavily guarded and the former didn't lead anywhere worthwhile, just circle the city itself.

“So. We're sticking to the road?”

“It's a little exposed-”

“A little?”

“Shut up. But it's better than being out there.” Navi drifted to one side, hands on hips. Link followed her gaze and frowned. The Wilds had regional divisions, sort of – cold and dry, fucking cold, hot, fucking hot and humid, fucking hot and dry, and then the largest area, the storm striped Fields. Barely any cover, full of nasty little underground surprises that liked to claw their way to the light of day and make off with an unwary traveler, and worse. Most of the highways crossed it, so there wasn't anything resembling shelter to be had – no one had lived out there even when the war hadn't blown the world to bits.

“Point. Fine, the road it is.” It looked like it was a straight shot to the Greens at least.

“What did I miss when I was knocked out during the attack?” Navi asked. “I picked up a little through system chatter when I came back online, about Zelda, but that's it.”

“Impa ordered me to go through with Silver Protocol, gave me a drive, and Ruto got me out.” He frowned.

“I didn't recognize any of the armor on those guys. Those weren't gang members, those were professionals, mercenaries. Didn't see any sigils or anything, just black on black. And Zelda's little group had silver stripes I think.”

“But...if Zelda didn't use the gangs she controls, she has to be paying these people. With what money?”

“No merc is going to take the promise of pay over actual bank,” Link agreed. “Her gangs aren't that lucrative, they can't do much in the inner city and there's nothing in the outer city to steal worth a damn, not without stepping on a rival's toes.” Zelda had done that a couple of times. He'd cleaned up after some of the uglier clashes – usually gangs were more concerned about keeping their section of the outer city running and thriving than with what was going on somewhere else, and would even work with other gangs to guard against ghoul incursions from the Field. Zelda was in the gang business for money and power though, and fostered a cult-like loyalty in the ones she controlled. With their loyalty to her greed and not the people of the city, they were as likely to gut each other as a civilian, and had no concept of collateral damage. Link scowled.

“So. Mystery mercs, hostile takeover, grid blackout, and we're probably fugitives, because there's not enough Knights to fight off the amount of people she had with her so that puts her in control of the Board and the Council.”

“What's on the drive?”

“Hmm?”

“The drive Impa gave you,” Navi said. Link blinked.

“Good question.” He slowed, then stopped altogether, frowning.

“She...had it on hand. She had it on hand and she didn't seem all that surprised to see Zelda.” His eyes narrowed.

“Anonymous tip? We always said she has eyes and ears all over the city,” Navi giggled, the sound nervous.

“Maybe she knew about the takeover attempt, but I don't think she expected the blackout,” Link said, beginning to move again. “So whatever's on the drive is probably something Zelda wants.”

“Her father's will?”

“That's public documentation, anyone can read it now that he'd buried and it's been carried out.” He hefted the bundle of his jacket, digging through it to pull out the drive and holding it up to look at as they walked. It was just a typical personal storage unit; tiny, twist to open, a little symbol stamped on one side. He squinted at it.

“Hey, doesn't this look like Trine's logo?” Navi fluttered close, and Link started when his view magnified.

“Sorry.”

“Just give me a heads up next time,” he grumbled. It _was_ Trine's logo – three golden triangles set into one, a dark mirror of them at their center.

“This looks like a modern drive.”

“Maybe old man Kingsley found a way into Trine's systems before he died,” Link murmured, curling his fingers around the drive, then tucking it away again.

“Well, we'll-”

“Hey, listen!” He winced and scowled at Navi, who gave him a sheepish grin. She'd never been able to change that message alert. Link was pretty sure Saria had done that on purpose.

“It's from Saria,” Navi said. “Audio.”

“Play it back.”

“Link?” Saria's high voice sounded strained. “I got Navi's message. I think I know what Impa's sending. We can't meet in the Greens. Get to the Tree; Mido can point you to me.” Link swallowed a groan.

“Great. Got it, Nav. Anything else?”

“No. I haven't gotten any CC updates or anything.”

“So the grid's still down.” He sighed.

“Okay. Let's keep moving.”

 

The Greens were maybe an hour outside of the city outskirts. It took Link three, and by then the sun was moving toward setting. Without Epona, he wouldn't be getting back to the city before dark, and even without the grid, Castle Corp. automated defenses wouldn't let him by at night, Knight or no. He sighed and trudged past the carved wood arch that proclaimed the place 'The Greenest in Sunny Hyrule!'. He was pretty sure the Kokiri kept it up as a joke. It _was_ green here, but it was the green of old fashioned glass set into every window and in mosaics on the walls, not trees or something. 

Most of the Greens was old wood, though. A lot of it was burnt or rotted, but it was still there, salvaged yearly from the area around the city. The Kokiri didn't know where the tradition came from, but traditions were traditions, and when you weren't sure your family would survive another year, they were comforting in a way. Or so Saria said. Link thought it was a weird thing to maintain when most ghouls could bit through an inch of steel without pause.

The majority of the village still lived in the skeletons of the quaint houses that had once lined the streets of the place. It reeked of packaged domesticity, the kind of canned and marketed felicity and banality people waxed nostalgic about on the good days. Now, the paint was chipped and faded, the shutters half gone, the curtains rotted or unraveling, and the roads littered with pot holes. It was a tiny place, you could walk through it in a couple of hours and have seen everything, but here and there was still an ancient car that had been displaced by automated vehicles even in Trine's time. An old fashioned bicycle with faded ribbons around the handle bars and a warped, sad looking basket up front leaned against the side of the general store.

“Hey Link! Navi!” Here, everyone knew everyone, and everyone knew Link, because he was the closest thing to the village's adopted kid anyone knew. The only non-Kokiri to have one of Saria's custom FAIRY units, and her best friend besides. That rubbed some people (read: Mido) wrong, even long after Link had moved into Hyrule City and started working for Castle Corporation.

“We should visit more. You know, not in a crisis or just for maintenance,” Navi said. Link sighed.

“Yeah. I'm sorry, we'll definitely do that when this is all over.” Not a lot of people acknowledged Navi in Hyrule City – Impa, Ruto, and Malon mostly. Darunia didn't mind the AI, but Link suspected she offended his Goron sensibilities to an extent. The Gorons barely allowed basic automation for waste disposal in their compound – an AI was something beyond unacceptable to most of them. In the Greens, everyone had a FAIRY, and it was considered impolite to ignore them. They were as much citizens of the little village as any Kokiri.  


“You looking for Mido, Link?” He turned and raised an eyebrow. He hadn't realized Skull Kid was in town. A little hacker who might have been a Kokiri once upon a time, he'd long since been designated a rank 5 ghoul – capable of speech and moral decisions, and therefore sentient and under Castle Corp. protection. He wasn't usually in the Greens proper. Most rank 5 ghouls in the area lived just outside, in the old wind turbine complex surrounding the nearest highway.

“Yeah. Need to find Saria.”

“Thought so. He sulking by the Tree.” He grinned, the expression only barely pulling at his stiff, wooden face.

“I can find Saria. She in the forest.” Link shrugged.

“Thanks but I've got orders I'm afraid. Another time.” Maybe when he had a day to throw away. The Skull Kid wasn't a bad guy, but he liked to play pranks, and if Link followed him into the densely packed maze of turbines, he wouldn't be coming out for hours, let alone reaching his chosen destination quickly.

“Aww. Okay.” Link patted him on the shoulder and headed down the main street toward the Tree's square. It was sort of behind the entire village, in its own little grove. Long dead but still standing, it was where town meetings and celebrations took place in lieu of the town hall, which was even by Kokiri standards unlivable, half underwater and collapsed on itself.

There were streamers in the Tree's branches; it had to have been for the anniversary of GDTT Ltd.'s founding. Mido was sat against the tree, scowling at Link as he approached. His FAIRY waved, expression a touch rueful. All the FAIRY units liked Link. Most of the Kokiri did too. Mido was the exception, for about four hundred petty reasons Link didn't care about.

“Hey, Mido.” He received a grunt and a sour look, but Mido got to his feet and waved him back.

“We need to go through the turbine field. Saria's waiting on the other side.” Link raised an eyebrow.

“So Skull Kid really does know where she is?” A sullen shrug.

“Probably. Come on.” He shoved past, and Link rolled his eyes, but followed. 

“What the hell are you wearing, anyway? Greedy Corp. going blind?” Link snorted.

“It's experimental.” Navi buzzed, the way she did whenever she disapproved of what Link was saying. Text scrolled across his visor.

 _Don't tell him it's Trine tech._ Link rolled his eyes and shook his head, tracing a reply on the wrist projected keypad.

 _I didn't, did I? I said it was experimental._ The buzz got a little louder. Link ignored her.

“Why are you even out here? Is it because of the grid?”

“Yeah.” Link glanced up as they passed into the field. Skull Kid's 'forest' wasn't easily navigated, not even by most Kokiri. Besides Mido, Saria, and Fado, Link couldn't think of anyone who went in beyond Skull Kid's usual haunt, which wasn't very far in. Even with the FAIRY units, it was a pain to get through, almost identical at points, with the occasional short range teleportation pad half hidden in debris that somehow still worked that would, without fail, throw you back to the village. Besides that, it was eerie. A slight breeze howled in here, the turbines were always creaking and quivering, and old queued broadcasts still played at irregular intervals throughout, all over the skeletons and debris littering the space.

Mido seemed to have a handle on where they were going, at least. Link and Navi kept up a little stream of conversation with Mido's FAIRY, while the Kokiri continued to ignore them.

“Here.” Now he was doubly glad for Mido's surly self, because he absolutely would have missed the little metal door half overgrown out here. Here, it almost was an actual forest, though the trees were barely eight feet tall and spindly things at that. He squinted.

“Where are we?”

“It's an old Trine lab.” Link gaped at him, but Mido didn't say anything, just entered a code on the grimy keypad to the door's left.

“You still have Saria's Ocarina program, right?” Link fought the urge to roll his eyes.

“Yes, why wouldn't I?” Mido sneered but didn't answer.

“Broadcast the signal she taught you, and you'll be able to get a direct link to her out here. I'm not wasting my time leading you again.” 

“Uh-huh. Thanks buddy.” Mido snorted, the friendliest sound yet, and stormed off. Link sighed and scrubbed a hand over his eyes as the visor retracted.

“I've got it Link,” Navi said, and a bright tune played around them. It doubled over itself, playing from Navi's hardware on Link's headset and from the broadcast system in the field. The door clanked open, and Link hurried in.

With the door closed behind them, it was almost silent here. Looking up, Link could see a high ceiling now, as overgrown as everything else this far from the village. A few birds whipped to and fro, and Link could hear the rustle of scrubs, the mostly harmless ghouls that populated this region. He followed the dim gold guidance lights on the ground through a series of hallways and up a large flight of stairs to what appeared to be a lobby, once upon a time. Saria was seated on an overturned crate, monitors strewn around her, the signal still burbling away beside her. She twisted when he strode up, and popped to her feet, raking a little hand through bright green hair.

“Link! I thought the scrubs had gotten you!” Her laugh wasn't as boisterous as usual, strained like her voice had been in her message. He slung an arm around her shoulders and tugged her into a hug.

“You know me. One scrub ambush and I'm a wreck. Lucky I had Mido to protect me.” She dug her fingers into his ribs.

“Leave Mido alone. Ah ah ah, don't. I know you don't like each other, I don't care.” Link snorted, muttering, “ _He_ doesn't like _me_.” Saria ignored him, plopping back down on the box.

“So where is it?” He blinked.

“What – oh. The drive.” He dug it out and passed it over. Saria held it up, lips thinning.

“Yeah. Thought so. Impa said a while back...well, she implied-”

“What?” Link folded himself into a seated position, leaning a little on the crate. Saria propped an elbow on his shoulder, twisting the drive open and slipping it into the foremost port on her steup.

“Kingsley hired me to do some decryption – little stuff, but still complex. No big company secrets, but still, stuff Trine hadn't wanted out in the public eye. Thing is, it was only the second layer he wanted me to do; the first was already clear, and that stuff is a snarl if ever anything was. Even a Syndicate hacker would have to spend a year on one bit.” Link frowned.

“I would have heard if our people could get through that, everyone would have.”

“I figured the same. Impa said not to ask, that it was a personal project of Kingsley's and nobody else in the company knew about it. I keep my nose clean, Link, when someone says keep out of it-”

“You smile and nod and immediately ignore them because you're a nosy little shit,” Link said, and ducked her swat.

“Don't be rude. I didn't get into it with her, because Castle Corp. is still it for us little folk. GDTT can only do so much, with just me and Fado.” Link nodded.

“So!” She focused on the monitor.

“Let's have a look see.” She paused.

“Are you alright, by the way? I didn't ask before because you _look_ okay-”

“I'm fine Saria. I just need to know what's on this so I can get back to Impa.” Saria frowned.

“What about the drive?” He shrugged.

“Why can't you hold onto it?”

“We should see what's on it first,” Navi chimed in, and Saria sighed.

“Right, right. Okay.” Link leaned back and fiddled with the helm while Saria worked, going through the specs for the Trine armor with Navi. The helmet could feasibly be combined with his visor, if need be, or so Navi thought. Link was pretty sure that was overkill, but he saw no reason not to look into it. That was the kind of modification he could make on his own, at least.

It was getting dark out – Link could hear the nocturnal fliers making their way out, and increased activity from scrubs settling. The high windows here were almost all gone, so the sounds were faint, but he could still definitely hear them. They'd been there for a few hours now, and Link was beginning to go blind from staring at tech specs, even as projections, and he figured by now Navi must be tired of explaining the enhancements to him. 

“Um.” Link looked up.

“Um? What's um?”

“Come here.” He moved from the center of the lobby where he'd been testing his range of motion (optimum – better, in fact, than when he was in Castle Corp. gear) to blink at what Saria was pointing at. A request for credentials.

“I don't get it, you can't hack this?” Saria huffed.

“Right there.” She jabbed her finger at the screen again, and Link squinted. Her finger half covered it, but he could see the tiny prompt now; _Trine FSD operative in vicinity. Verification required._

“Uh.”

“Exactly.” Navi chimed.

“Uh, Link. The Great FAIRY of Secrets knew you. What – what if she authorized us?”

“What? The Great what?”

“What's FSD?” Link asked. Saria flung her hands in the air.

“I don't know! What is a Great FAIRY? An AI? You met a Trine AI?”

“Back at headquarters. She was one of the founder's – Farore's assistant. The armor is a Trine prototype. I couldn't get my gear before running.” Saria stared at him.

“W-what? What _happened_?”

“Zelda. Hostile takeover. Impa seemed like she expected it, but the grid blackout threw her, I think. She probably had a plan to get me out here without all of the running through maintenance and grid access.”

“You were in grid access? How?” He groaned.

“Saria, _later_. We need whatever is on this drive, Impa wouldn't have smuggled it out otherwise.”

“Well, we need verification. Do something.” He stared at her, and dragged a hand through his hair.

“Um. Hey, Navi, do you remember Farore's clearance?”

“Clearance level 615124514 ex 3,” she rattled off. Saria twisted back to the monitor and battered away at the keyboard projection. After a moment, the screen cleared, and then a familiar voice spoke up.

“Hello again, Lieutenant Masters.”

“Hey, Secrets. Sorry about the, uh, runaround.”

“It's not a problem, Lieutenant. Ms. Saria has been in the system before. I passed on the FAIRY program information as my programming bid.” Saria sputtered.

“You – really? Oh, I _knew_ it was too easy.”

“I apologize for the deception, Ms. Saria. It is what my orders detailed.”

“No, no, that's fine. Thank you. We wouldn't have survived this long with the FAIRY units.”

“I know.” Link winced at that ominous statement.

“So. About this-”

“I only wished to pass on a signal that should allow you to access Trine Industries systems without so much energy expended on your part. You have been authorized as a FSD operative, with the highest clearance besides that of the Madame Engineers.” Link blinked.

“Why?”

“My orders dictate it should be so.” His brow furrowed.

“What? How could-”

“I am afraid I cannot explain to the extent you would like, Lieutenant. I have a block within my programming preventing it.” He scowled.

“Figures.”

“Apologies. The signal, if you'd like.” Navi chirped an agreement, and shone bright blue as the signal played. It echoed, low and mournful, before fading after two repetitions. 

“Very good. I must shut down for now, Lieutenant.”

“Wait, why?”

“An NRD operative has overridden my controls. Goodbye, Lieutenant.”

“Wait, wait, what-” He heard a grinding screech and recoiled as the monitors all turned bright blue, then faded to black. After a beat of silence, text unfurled across the main monitor.

 _FSD operative signal received. Clearance level 615124514 ex 3. Link Masters. Operative level 3._ The text paused. 

_Verified. Access granted._ Saria's eyes were round with awe; Navi quivered over her shoulder. After a moment, Link cleared his throat.

“Well?” Saria jerked and leaned forward, fingers flying over the keyboard projection.

“It – it looks like...project specs...um.” She bit her lip, eyes narrowing.

“Ha! There!” A projection bloomed in the center of the lobby behind them with a crackling hum; they all turned, Saria getting to her feet and trotting over, monitor floating after her.

“Wow,” she breathed. Link came up beside her.

“That – that can't be.”

“It _is_. The Triforce program.”

“I – I thought that was a myth,” Navi said.

“So did I. A program with unlimited potential to transform the very landscape of the world? It's bullshit,” Link said.

“Maybe – maybe it's been oversold but...” Saria's wrist projected keyboard flashed up, and she brought up a window in front of them.

“It looks like it really could do some incredible things with the grid. I don't even understand all of this – these are schematics, that looks like a dissertation. There's crossover into so many fields, I can't – this barely counts as a computer program.”

“Then what is it?”

“I can't quantify it, we don't even have a designation for something like this. I don't – I can't-” She shook her head.

“I would need a team of experts in every field I can imagine to even begin to understand what's going on here.”

“There isn't enough security in the world to keep this out of Zelda's hands then,” Link said. Saria turned to him.

“Why would she need this? I mean – what would she use it for?”

“Knowing Zelda? Nothing good.” He raked a hand through his hair. Saria chewed her bottom lip and turned back to the projection.

“Well. From what little I can tell, I can't even access all of the information for this. It's only what's linked into FSD.”

“Which is?”

“Farore Secrets Division. It looks like there were three in Trine, I see a reference to...NRD, like the Great FAIRY said, and DOD. They probably refer to Nayru and Din, respectively. I can look into it, maybe-” She paused.

“There's...something here about utilizing the program. It sounds like it can't even be activated properly without the founders or their proxies.” Link sighed.

“Well, good.” Saria's brow remained furrowed.

“Um, no.” Link frowned.

“What? The founders have to be dead-”

“According to the system, the proxies aren't.” She gestured, and a projection swung forward.

 

_Nayru proxy: Active, enabled. Location, unknown._  
_Din proxy: Inactive, disabled. Location, redacted._  
_Farore proxy: Inactive, enabled. Location, Blue Road._

_Notice: Nayru proxy location unknown. Begin location protocol?_

 

“How can their proxies be alive?” Saria shook her head.

“I'd need time and help to begin getting you answers, Link. I see something here about Trine's Hylian headquarters – something in the city, probably.”

“In Oldtown, down the road from headquarters. I know where it is. No one's allowed in after some kid got crushed by a defense system we didn't know was active. It's right by the undertaker's place. What about it?”

“It looks like that's where the hardware meant to run the program is.”

“Zelda can't know,” Navi said.

“Or she suspects. She came for this, or Impa wouldn't have passed it off.” Saria turned and ejected the drive; the projection winked out, and Link raised an eyebrow.

“We can't do anything, but it this is as bad as you say it will be, you need to keep this. I can try to get my gear into the city, set up somewhere and try to work through the system again, find a backdoor. You need to get back to Impa.”

“That's your big plan? Take the drive back to headquarters, where Zelda's waiting?” 

“Well, what do _you_ plan to do?”

“I don't _know_ , but not _that_.” 

“Saria's right – we need to talk to Impa,” Navi said. He scowled.

“Just – one step at a time. I'll get back to the city, crash at Malon's place. You get this place as secure as you can,” he said to Saria. “I'll keep you looped in as best I can.” He heaved a sigh.

“Hey – what about the proxy it said was active? The one it offered to locate?” Navi asked. Link looked at the drive Saria pushed into his hand.

“It's...a lead, I guess?” Saria turned to her monitor.

“The prompt is still up. Should I run it? It's still recognized your clearance.” Link shared a look with Navi.

“Yeah, go ahead. Anywhere I can conk out before I go tomorrow?”

“Yeah, here. I've got the protocol running, it looks like it should alert Navi when it's done. We can head back to the village.” She grabbed the portable monitor and led the way out. Link tucked the drive away. He'd have all of the walk back tomorrow to think on this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am tech-impaired, I'm basically bullshitting this. That's usually the way, my friends, I'm only being honest.
> 
> Edit 6.2.16: Adjusted some directions now that a map is coming together in my head. Stuff's still going to be wonky, fair warning.


	3. Interlude: Malon

Blackouts in the outer city weren't uncommon enough to give anyone pause. Malon got the bar's backup generator running after a few minutes without everything kicking back in, and sent Rafe to check on her father and Ingo next door. The boy returned after a couple of minutes.

“Talon says their generator is going strong.”

“Good. Here,” she passed him a little caddy of four milk bottles, “get those to your mom. I'm locking up, check to make sure you haven't left anything you need.” She made sure the security system Link had pestered her into letting him install was activated, stashed the rest of the milk in the back, turned on the cooling system, and met Rafe at the door as she locked up. He scrabbled off down the street, dodging a couple Bombers running their usual patrols. She nodded to them as she passed, slipping the garage key out of her apron pocket and unlocking it.

“Dad? Mr. Ingo?” She heard a shout and grumble from opposite directions in the dim, and smiled as she let the office door close behind her. Ingo was behind the desk, flipping through the registry; she assumed her father was in the garage itself.

“That Knight dropped his bike off a bit ago,” Ingo said, flapping a hand at the garage. Malon frowned. Usually Link stopped by the bar before he went in. And why was he leaving Epona here anyway? Maybe Ilia knew...

“Thanks Mr. Ingo.” He waved her off, bushy brows drawn into a furrow while he glared at the registry. Shaking her head, she ducked into the cool dark of garage. Ilia was up front, the familiar ruddy gold of Epona glinting a little in the flame of her blowtorch.

“Hey, Ilia.” The torch went out, and Ilia nudged the mask up, grinning.

“Malon! The bar set for tonight?”

“Mmhmm,” Malon hummed, joining her. She noticed a little smudge of dirt on Ilia's cheek and reached out without thinking to rub it away. Ilia's skin warmed under her thumb, and she jerked her hand back.

“Sorry,” she felt her own cheeks heating up. Ilia offered a little smile and ducked away.

“It's fine. So, uh. Link wants us to go over her, it sounds like he had an ugly patrol last week and didn't get time to bring her in until this morning. It's not a big job, I thought we could get those upgrades on her while we're at it.” 

“Alright. I'll get changed and join you.” Ilia flashed her another smile as she moved toward the tiny locker room she and Ilia shared. She tucked her apron away and changed into her dark coveralls, making sure her keys were all safely in her apron before heading back out.

Her father caught her on the way, passing her a little tablet.

“I did an accountin' of the damages this time 'round. Think your Knight friend is finally learnin'.” She glanced at the list. 

“You might be right, Dad.” Most of the damage was superficial, or small things Link himself could patch – maybe not as well as they could, but he could. 

“He's been billed an' the payment cleared, so you head on over to Ilia and get to it.” He patted her on the shoulder and headed back to his own work.

She and Ilia spent the morning on Epona, upgrading her navigation systems, fine tuning her handling, and calibrating the delicate systems that kept her hovering. The patches, like Ilia had said, were little things. In the end, most of their repair work was cosmetic – fixing up the red-gold paint job and custom faded decals, mostly. After that, Ilia joined Talon on a commission of his – a bike for an anonymous, disgustingly wealthy client, who had paid half up front, a whopping 500 rupees. 

In the inner city, that mattered, but out here, most payments went to taxes. Transactions with the locals were all trades, some more complex than others. Most of the time it was services or things needed for the little repairs the city wouldn't handle – scavenged scrap and the like. Malon and her father usually went the route of general repairs on the standalone systems Castle Corp. had tried to implement off the grid but never bothered to upkeep. She figured she could barter free drinks at the bar as well, but most handouts went to the bigger families who just couldn't scrape together enough labor between them to keep everyone fed and clothed besides essentials.

Malon joined Ingo to go over the books after lunch; he took the inner city payments and made sure everything matched with the City Bank account, while Malon headed out to verify and collect local payments.

One of the Bombers joined her on the walk, a frown on his face even as he tapped away at the ever-present Bomber tablet in his hand.

“Is everything alright?”

“The grid still isn't back up. I sent a couple of the boys uptown, but they were turned back by Knights at a new checkpoint, up on Temple Road.” Malon stifled a sigh. More checkpoints. Usually they went up overnight and stuck around for a month or so, but it made going in city difficult at the best of times.

“Why, do you know?”

“They're not letting anyone through any checkpoint, I'm seeing,” he said, tilting the tablet so she could see. Surveillance of each checkpoint – probably Skull Kid's little Tattletale cams, he passed upgraded ones to the Bombers every couple of months or something. Malon was pretty sure Castle Corp. didn't know that's what they were – the cheery little orbs looked like festival lights, and they were all over the outer city. Sometimes Skull Kid used them to broadcast the latest Kokiri tunes, usually when things were bleakest around town.

“So we're on lockdown?”

“'Cept there's not a Knight patrol to be seen. Link hasn't come back all day, didn't even give us the heads up he'd be off patrol this week.”

“Because he isn't – I checked in with him a couple nights ago, he passed his schedule along to Telma,” Malon said, frown deepening. She slowed as they came up on her first stop.  
“Do me a favor. Get everyone together at the bar tonight. If something's happening uptown we need to make sure everyone is set for isolation for a week at least.” He tucked his tablet away and tipped his blue cap.

“Got it Malon. Around ten good?”

“Very. I'll see you then.” He loped off, and she sighed, rubbing a hand over her hair before straightening, pulling on a smile, and knocking on the door.

 

She got a couple more Bombers to help her lug the scrap and things she collected back to the shop, passed off some programs Link's friend Saria had whipped up that should help their communications as thanks, and fixed up a couple of the local vehicles before heading back to the bar. Telma was already in, the fluffy creature she insisted was a cat that Malon was sure was actually a highly advanced android draped across the front window sill, tail flicking from side to side.

“Honey, I heard, we're having a meeting?”

“Yeah, I'm going to call the other neighborhoods and get a stream set up,” she said. Telma nodded.

“I'll check on our stocks, make sure the Gormans aren't skimming again.” Malon smiled and ducked into the back to dig for the calls. There wasn't enough of the outer city grid intact and working consistently to get calls around town the usual way. Everyone had to rely on word of mouth or the system of the gangs put up a few years ago. Every gang had a member who worked at the hub, near the furthest inner city checkpoint, to get messages to everyone about patrol changes, storms, or ghoul attacks, among other things. The notice board in bars like Malon's were directly linked to it by cables, giving everyone a system for alerts to go citywide without relying on Castle Corp.

As she waited for a connection, she shot off a message to Link and then Ruto and Saria. She hadn't heard from the Knight or the Zoran engineer, and while the Kokiri developer wasn't part of Castle Corp., she did typically keep tabs on their trouble prone friend. She wasn't really surprised she didn't get a response, but she couldn't shake the sense that something was really wrong.

Eventually she and Telma busied themselves with the soup bar, making sure everyone would get fed at tonight's meeting and packing up what was to be delivered tomorrow morning by the Bombers and putting it up to chill. Talon, Ingo, and Ilia helped move the tables to the sides of the bar and set up the chairs about an hour before the meeting was to begin, and then they all settled into to wait. Malon sat behind the bar, picking at peeling sticker on the bar's dented edge. Ilia plopped down next to her.

“Are you okay?” Malon offered her a wan little smile.

“Not all that great at waitin'.” She wrinkled her nose and set her elbows on the bar, resting her chin on her palm. Telma's cat Louise wound around her ankles, getting up on her hindlegs to rest her front paws on the barstool's lower rung. Ilia ducked down to scratch her behind one ear, before sitting up and slipping an arm around Malon's shoulders.

“We're gonna be fine, Mal. You know Link; he'll come in like nothing happened, complain you aren't using the security system right, take Epona and go fix things the way he always does.” Malon rolled her eyes, but leaned into Ilia's grip, smile widening.

“Get beaten up and not tell anyone for two days.”

“Subsist on milk and carrots while he's hiding out.”

“Somehow break a bone no one else breaks ever.” Both women giggled, and Telma came over, leaning on the bar with one eyebrow raised.

“What are you girlies gigglin' about over here?”

“Oh you know,” Ilia rested her chin on Malon's shoulder, “Link.” Telma rolled her eyes.

“That boy of yours, I swear. He's a walking death trap, it's a wonder to me Impa hired him.”

“Eh, Link? He's not so bad!” Talon objected. “Does a right good job when he's on his feet!” Telma chuckled.

“Ain't on his feet all as much as that Talon. But you're right. He's got talent, and heart, he does. We could use more like him with the Knights.” She hummed.

“It's strange we haven't heard from him. But I've got my little birds chattering, and it sounds like there's been some dustup at CCHQ.” Malon froze.

“What? When did you hear this?”

“Not an hour before you got back, hon. Had to get a couple extra ears in, but it checks out. Can't get much more than that though.” She sighed.

“I'm sorry honey, but all we can do it wait for that boy of yours to do what he does best.”

“If anyone can get out of a scrape an' get us caught up, it's Link,” Talon said firmly. Ilia nodded, and Malon sighed. Telma just shook her head and straightened up.

“Come on Louise, let's get you upstairs before people start gettin' in.” The cat mewed and butted up against Malon's ankle before padding after Telma.

The Bombers were the first to arrive – just a couple, checking in that Malon didn't need anything else set up before ducking back out, leaving only their leader behind. Up until ten, people began trickling in, grabbing their bowl of soup and milk ration before settling in. Bombers escorted elderly who lived on their own or the occasional family that couldn't afford to leave the little ones behind. Telma took all the kids upstairs, with a couple of the younger Bombers playing chaperone. Malon and Ilia focused on serving everyone. Talon and Telma made rounds, and Ingo stayed by the setup to keep an eye on the channel. The screen behind the bar showed the other neighborhoods gathering the same as theirs.  
Telma called them all to order a little after ten.

“Alright, all of you, settle down. Here's what's goin' on. It looks like the grid is down all over town. Since it isn't back up right now, we're going to get everyone set for a week or so in the dark.” A few murmurs, but mostly head nods. Everyone had gone through this at least once or twice before, for longer than a week even.

“We've got some news that something's goin' on up at Castle Corp. No details, but it looks like they've got us on lockdown. Now, has anyone seen a patrol today?” She waited while the bar buzzed, but soon everyone went quiet, and no one raised a hand. Malon's stomach dropped. Telma frowned.

“Then I need volunteers to shore up Bomber patrols; it might only be for the week, might be less than that. If the Knights aren't back soon after that, we'll talk about what to do next. Ilia, pass me that tablet honey.” She set up a sign up and directed everyone interested to Talon.

“While we're here, have we got any concerns?” Malon watched the meeting turn to little local issues – a few announcements, one argument settled, some payments passed on now as opposed to later, and rubbed her temples to soothe her growing headache. Ilia caught her eye and frowned, concerned; Malon just shook her head.

“If that's everything, we'll have the Bombers do rounds before the night's out. Tomorrow around five, we'll start gettin' everything distributed. Get home, folks, it's late, and we've got work to do. We'll keep everyone updated.” Malon pushed off the bar and moved to see everyone out, wincing a little at the uptick in volume. Telma and Talon were with the volunteers and the Bomber leader, and Ingo was talking to his brothers, who lived out by the Goron compound, by the outer city communications hub.

“Hey.” She jumped and blushed when Ilia caught her arm.

“Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Thought you might want to lie down, you look a little peaky. We can close down for the night.” Malon squinted at the time over the door. It was getting near midnight.

“No, I'm okay. I can help close.” Ilia frowned and squeezed her arm.

“If you're sure, Mal.” Malon bumped their shoulders together.

“Sure I'm sure.” Ilia rolled her eyes, but was smiling again at least. They washed out the soup pots, put away the leftovers, and helped the volunteers, Talon, and Ingo put up the rest of the chairs. Telma was talking to someone in the back – probably one of her cronies from Oldtown, around the way where Link lived. She met them at the stairs.

“I just checked in with Rusl. Sounds like none of the Knights came home tonight, let alone Link.” Malon and Ilia exchanged a look.

“Ilia, honey, do you want to stay with us tonight? Even with the Bombers and the Market Boys in Oldtown, I'm not too keen on you bein' out tonight.”

“If you don't mind,” Ilia said, glancing at Malon.

“No, it's fine. I'd feel better if you were here too.” Ilia flushed, and Malon bit her lip to keep from smiling. Rolling her eyes, Telma shooed them upstairs.

“I've got a couple more calls to make. Y'all head on up, I'll be after in a bit.”

 

Louise woke her up with a paw to the forehead, green eyes slit and expression more serious than usual. After gently putting her on the floor, Malon sat up and scrubbed her eyes, listening to the snoring of her father downstairs and the soft murmur of Ilia just beside her. After a second, she heard what had Louise waking her. The bells on the door being muffled. 

Swinging her feet to the floor, she snagged the rifle from below the sill, checked that it was set to stun, and crept downstairs. The door was shut, and someone was moving deliberately, but not all that quietly, further into the bar. Malon paused in the stairwell, inched to the doorway, and waited. The steps got closer to the bar, and then a soft oath.

“Malon, you're supposed to turn the system _on_ when you go to bed.” All the tension ran out of her, and she laughed, stepping out.

“I guess I forgot after yesterday's meeting.” Link squinted through the dim at the rifle in her hand.

“Were you going to _shoot me_?” Malon shrugged. Link sputtered.

“ _Rude_.”

“ _You_ shouldn't be sneaking around after not contacting me at _all_ yesterday!” she chastised, setting the rifle by the bar and pulling him into a hug. He huffed an apologetic laugh into her ear.

“Sorry. Navi must have been screening for priority messages still. Didn't think to tell her not to after everything that happened.” Malon pulled back and looked him over. Strange armor aside (why was it green...), he had a couple bruises, his hair was a mess, and he smelled like he'd been out in the Wilds overnight. Not the worse he'd ever looked since Malon had gotten to know him, not by a long shot, but he looked worn down in a way she hadn't seen before.

“Link, what happened?” He gave a ragged chuckle and raked a hand through his hair.

“Fuck, Mal. It's just...” He rested his forehead on her shoulder and give a shudder. She hugged him close, running her fingers through his hair.

“Take your time. You probably want to get cleaned up, put on real clothes. I've got some of your things you left on Epona. Go downstairs, wake up Dad.” She let him go and squeezed his shoulder.

“We'll talk when you're all set.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll have a couple of these shorter interludes as POV changes, but most of the time of the POV will probably be Link's or Ganondorf's. The chapter will say Interlude: Character name otherwise.
> 
> Not entirely sure why, but I started this and my brain was all -whispers- Hey, hey, what if we shipped Ilia and Malon, and then. Well. -waves hand at chapter-
> 
> And finally, I know nothing technical about any vehicles at all so. When I refer to Epona, you will get vague shit like this most often. Z has done an actual design for her, and I have an idea of a few specifics, but other than that. Vaaague.


	4. Chapter 3

It took five minutes and Navi broadcasting the single loudest Cucco crow Link had ever heard to get Talon up, and another five minutes to get Ingo to stop grumbling about it and pry himself out of Talon's death grip of a hug, but by the time Link normally would have been heading into work, he was clean, dressed, and tucked into a booth with a bottle of milk and a bowl of pumpkin soup, surrounded by Malon's family and co-workers. He raised an eyebrow when Ilia came downstairs and spent a minute shooting looks at Malon she persisted in ignoring, before he gave up and tucked into the meal in front of him, not even fazed by Telma's creepy cat curling up in his lap.

“The grid's still not up?” Navi's projection paced the tabletop, hands behind her back and lips pursed, like a general reviewing her troops and finding them wanting.

“It might come back up today,” Malon said, but she didn't look any more convinced than she sounded.

“Any word from Castle Corp.? Impa, Ruto?”

“Not a one.” Telma shook her head. “I've got people listening, but it looks like no one has left the headquarters since yesterday afternoon. My sources can't get inside, and a few attempts to hack into Castle Corp. systems have been blocked by Trine overlap.” Link grimaced and gulped down his milk to keep from swearing. Malon wrapped her arms around herself, chewing her lip.

“Why would Zelda do this? She couldn't just...”

“Be satisfied?” Link drawled, and Malon scowled.

“What's her plan?”

“Who cares?”

“Don't go half cocked, boy,” Telma scolded, and Link slumped back against the booth. “You know Impa would whip your behind if you didn't stop an' think before barreling off. If Zelda has a plan, you know she'll follow it to the letter. Know the plan, know what you have to do next.” She cut him another look, and he scrubbed a hand down his face.

“Fuck, I know. I _know._ ”

“Did she have something to do with the blackout?” Everyone paused and looked at Ilia, who chewed her lower lip.

“I mean. Everyone knows we rely on the grid, half of Castle Corp's tech is based on Trine's, what they aren't just recycling. Grid goes down, comms drop out, you've got all sorts of alarms that go off, protocols to follow – you mess with one of those just before the grid drops, you've got chaos, right? If Zelda brought it down-” Link's eyes got steadily wider as she trailed off, before Navi loosed a flurry of blue, swearing up a storm.

“It's brilliant! The grid has very few built-in defenses against hacking, we did the same thing when Castle Corp. was founded! If you aren't on-site, you can bypass almost every defense and trigger a shutdown pretty easily. Zelda knows all of our defenses besides the grid, she could absolutely arrange an attack in a short window!” She whipped around to face Link.

“It's diabolical and I hate her.” Link couldn't quite stifle his disbelieving laugh.

“Okay, but just because it's easy for our people to hack the grid doesn't mean she has anyone who could.” He glanced around the booth. Ilia's frown hadn't wavered, Talon and Ingo were exchanging uneasy glances, Malon looked baffled, but Telma, Telma had a glint in her eye Link knew all too well.

“You know something.”

“My ma was Gerudo, same as Malon's. She didn't stick around like yours,” she told the younger woman. “I still get a little news from the Syndicate here and there, but a few months ago, your cousin contacted me. Said they were moving on, trying to get as far from the city as possible.” Link scoffed.

“To go where? Everyone knows we're the only thing like civilization left.”

“Why would they leave?” Malon asked. Telma sighed.

“She didn't give me much. I got the impression they're running, though, an' not much can spook a Gerudo, let alone Nabooru's group. And, well...she asked me to keep an eye out. Can't think of anyone she'd ask that for but-”

“Ganondorf,” Malon whispered. Link glanced between them.

“I thought the Gerudo left were all women.”

“Almost all. In the last hundred years or so, the men have been dying out. Ganondorf is one of the last, and the only one in Nabooru's family left. Her little brother, in fact. The boy was always getting into scrapes with Knights, and then it all stopped. He's a good hacker. I'd say he could match your Kokiri friend easily. If the Gerudo are running, I can't think of why but if they felt like there was a threat in the city, or if they thought someone got too deep in something they can't get out of easy.” 

“So...you're saying Zelda, what, hired a Gerudo hacker to bring down the grid so she could take over the city?” Link rubbed his eyes. 

“Maybe, maybe not. I can't think of anyone else with the skills she'd need who would help.”

“Except the Gerudo hate us,” Link said.

“If Zelda promised them something-”

“Zelda doesn't offer something for something, she says jump and you say how high,” he cut Ilia off, shaking his head. “No, if she did anything, she had to have threatened them.”  
“Can't think of much she could use against the Syndicate, least of all Ganondorf,” Telma said. “Maybe I'm wrong.” Link frowned.

“It's something though. It's just...if she did have someone hack the grid defenses, why is it still down? We're coming up on festival season, we need the grid to repel the ghouls, there aren't nearly enough Knights.” He rapped his knuckles on the table top, frown deepening. 

“Link. It might not be safe for you to go back to Castle Corp.,” Malon said.

“How else do I get to Zelda?”

“Maybe my cousin didn't hack the grid – but if you want information on Zelda, the Syndicate might be the best way to get it. They've had hundreds of years to copy and collect the data from Trine and then Castle Corp.” She offered a lopsided grin. “The idea that they're all thieves didn't come from nothing. They do tend to steal information.” Link groaned.

“So the plan is for me to go find a nomadic band of thieves. Who by rights I should probably arrest.” Malon rolled her eyes.

“They're outside of your jurisdiction. Come on, Link. What other course of action do you have? You need information, right?” Navi huffed.

“Okay. So we can't go back to Trine. But we aren't equipped to run around in the Wilds either.”

“We can probably get into the Knight office out by our place,” Link said.

“Epona's ready to go,” Ilia said.

The screen behind the bar crackled and turned on with a pop, startling everyone around the booth. A gritty image wavered at the screen's center – Castle Corp's logo. After a moment, the image cleared, replaced by Link's face and flat words.

 

_Wanted Fugitive._

 

Link dropped his head onto his arms and swore into them. The others gaped at the screen with growing horror as more information scrolled past Link's face and those damning words plastered over it all.

“Well,” Navi said, mild as can be, “it looks like we should use those holiday hours Ruto's always harassing us about.” Link's hysterical cackle was muffled by his arms.

 

Maybe he could have stuck around longer, but Link wasn't about to put Malon's family through the same thing they did when the Knights came for her mother. He put on the Trine armor, thanked small mercies the helm covered his face entirely, and wheeled Epona out toward Oldtown. There was a backdoor to his building that would let him get in and out hopefully without alerting Rusl or anyone else nearby. Navi turned off his tag that alerted Castle Corp. systems he'd passed into city limits. It wouldn't help him _now_ , but it would cover his tracks for a little while.

“You don't think it's a little conspicuous?” Link started and turned back to the bar. Ingo leaned in the door, arms folded and scowling. He nodded to Epona, one eyebrow raised. 

“No one's looking for her,” Ilia objected. Navi wove around Link.

“It won't matter if we get out of the city fast enough. But...” She sighed.

“He's sort of right. Maybe Ilia or some of the Bombers can take it – sorry, sorry, _her_ , fine,” she rolled her eyes at Ilia and Link's glares, “out to the city limits. We can grab our gear and pick her up there.” She glanced at Link, who frowned and trailed his fingers over Epona's handlebars. Navi groaned.

“Now is not the time to get all weird about who rides it! We need to go!” He batted her away, wincing when a faint shock shot through his hand for the offense.

“Okay, okay. Ilia, you know where that old Trine office is, out past the checkpoint?”

“Yeah, on the road out to the Greens. I can drop her off.” She squeezed his shoulder before he stepped back.

“Be careful, okay?”

“You too,” Malon called from behind Ingo, twisting the edge of her apron. “Both of you had better come back in one piece.” Link flashed a grin which only got wider at the immediate eyerolls it received on all sides.

“Come on, Malon, we'll be fine. I always come back intact.”

“More or less.”

“Undermining my point, Nav.” He nudged Ilia with his shoulder.

“Besides, we kids out of Oldtown are tougher than we look.” Malon shook her head, smile a little strained. Ilia hastened to assure her.

“It's a straight run from here to there, I'll be back before you know it.” Telma pulled Link aside while the others began to disperse.

“Here,” she pressed a little bundle into his hands. He glanced down at it.

“What's this?”

“It'll get you to the Gerudo without you getting shot. There's old sign posts out in the Wilds. The ones that are intact have marks on them. That'll show you where to go.” He turned it over, sliding the creaky old leather away to reveal a palm sized device. It looked at first like a solid piece of carved metal, but Navi was quick to point out wear marks that implied moving parts. Telma took it from him to demonstrate.

“Fold these back, turn this, and look at the indicator for what you're scanning for. This can track radiation levels, find and scan water, locate shelters, and the marks the Syndicate uses to track safe routes an' the like. My mother brought it along, it's been with me since. I've got no cause to be out in the Wilds anymore, but you could use it.” Link flipped it over in his hand, then looked up.

“Anymore?” She chuckled.

“I haven't always been old, boy.” He snorted.

“You're not _old_.” She only laughed again and shooed him off with luck, turning to stride back into the bar. Link slid the scanner into the little bag Malon had insisted he take, and made his way to the ladder beside the bar.

It had been a while since he'd had to use the over road; even in the half sunken Zora Enclave, you could get around on the ground pretty well. When he was younger, like most kids in Oldtown, it was the preferred route anywhere in the city, out of the way of most adults (except in Oldtown itself), and more fun than boring old walking. As an adult, Link had mostly used it as a shortcut, much to the chagrin of his patrol mates over the years.

He didn't run. Running would attract attention, but strolling in full armor seemed a little disingenuous. A brisk trot would have to suffice, and it got him off Ranch Road and over the wall to Oldtown quickly enough. This early, the only people out were the ones tending their gardens. He avoided residential areas, dropped into alleys and circled around and back up to keep his distance. The building he lived in was near the Knight checkpoint into the inner city. It wasn't far out into the Wilds after that, and they were adjacent to the main road out to the Greens. It shouldn't take any time to get Epona and go.

It was that morning lull that came after everyone who had to headed out to work, and kids shuttled to the inner city for school. Everyone left was asleep (late risers or night shift workers), or lazing about before they started their own day's work. Link shared the building with Ilia and her father the landlord, Rusl's family, a pair of entrepreneur siblings whose names he _still_ didn't know (he felt like their names were always on the tip of his tongue, but his mind shied away from them. They didn't talk much anyway.), and an old musician friend of Ingo's. Guru Guru was apparently out or asleep, and everyone else was probably at work. He made his way to the back door and fiddled with the old fashioned lock until the door popped open, and headed upstairs.

His attic room was littered with odds and ends he'd picked up from wherever – on the job, while in town, gifts from friends and co-workers, that sort of thing. A lot of it was antique things no one would ever use – a fishing rod, a slingshot, an old glass bottle with a faded logo of a cow – or bits of tech he'd been fiddling with at some point or another. The hammock he slept in was up in one corner, a low shelf next to it, and dominating the wall opposite was his workbench and equipment closet.

“Nav, you're monitoring comm channels?”

“Yep.” He unlocked the closet and pulled out his kit – pistol, collapsible energy baton, shield, rations, charger, and spare comm unit. The baton holster went on one thigh, the shield across his back, the pistol on his hip and pack with everything else on his lower back. There wasn't much else he'd need, besides the med kit already in the pack. He tucked the scanner Telma had given him in with everything else and put the drive Impa had given him in the pocket he'd discovered near the throat of the bodysuit under the armor. He figured he could stash it in the pack once he was out of the city and away from Zelda's reach, but until then, on his person it went.

“I think that's everything...” He looked around. Navi chimed, finished with her own inventory.

“Epona's buzzed me, she's out under the highway to the Greens. I've got us off the main systems – without the grid, there's no way Zelda can track us.” Link locked up and tied the key to the nail by the door, helmet dangling from his fingers as he headed out.

He heard the alarm before he heard the squad, and heard them before he saw them – same black armor, no silver stripes, but a violet triangle instead. 

“It wasn't an employee?”

“Negative – besides Masters, no one's left the building. The thief is heading in your direction, but he's jamming any drone frequencies we might use. This is a priority, Delta, get on it.” He slipped back into the alley, pulling the pistol and inching toward the ladder to the roof. The silent alarms were on, too – he could see the lights flaring across the block.  
“Why isn't the grid up yet?” One of the squad grumbled.

“Alpha thinks Zelda's little hacker sabotaged it.”

“That even possible?” Well, that told him she had a hacker at least.

“Should have killed him when it was done, or brought him along, kept him with the Board.”

“That's not up to us,” the leader snapped. “Let's find this stupid bastard and go.”

“What about Masters?”

“Priorities, Delta-4. We find the thief, then we'll deal with the Knight. Let's move.” Link pulled the helmet on, glancing after Delta team. Zelda wouldn't have prioritized his capture if the thief wasn't important – but he had to get out of the city, and fast. Navi's opinion:

 _We need intel. Maybe this guy has it._ Stifling a sigh – maybe the helmet muffled him, maybe it didn't, but stealth was necessary right now – Link tailed the squad. They weren't the only squad looking, he could hear constant chatter from below as other teams checked in. It sounded like they were working on a grid to search. Whoever the thief was, Link doubted they were a local – they'd apparently come in from a Wilds access point, broken into Castle Corp. through maintenance, and then booked it across the city on foot, through the streets. Professional, but certainly not local.

Delta was heading toward the undertaker's place, away from the Greens and toward Trine's headquarters. The roofs were getting scarce; Link had dropped into an alley and was trying to keep back and out of sight, but doing that and keeping up with Delta was a task.

“He's definitely headed for the Trine headquarters,” crackled over the Delta leader's comm. He slowed, and Link crouched in the nearby alley.

“Has Kingsley given the order on kill or capture?”

“Capture; it sounds like this might be our hacker. Alpha hasn't confirmed, but that's the word around the company.”

“Why would he come back? Sounds too stupid to live.” Link would have focused on the conversation, but his eye was caught by something shiny over them. Crouched on the splintered arch leading into the graveyard and Trine's headquarters beyond was a shrouded figure. He hesitated to describe what he wore as armor; dark leather over more leather, overlapping metal plates over joints and stomach, a hood and mask in dingy colored cloth covering the bottom half of his face. It would have been inconspicuous if not for the heavy bracers, armband, and collar glittering with what looked like actual old fashioned rupees. Link was at a loss to how Delta squad couldn't see him, the alarm lights were flickering off him in a wash of red. He hadn't moved, and Link couldn't tell if he could see him, but that wasn't his concern. His concern was the thing in his hand. 

The thief flicked the little packet into Delta's midsts; it smacked against Delta-2's arm and exploded. Cloudy slime splattered everyone around her with a sizzling slap, and Delta-2 screamed. It had eaten through her armor, and from his alley Link couldn't see the damage to her skin, but he could guess based on that ear rending screech. Delta was scattered, and the thief was dropping from the arch – running down its face and lunging into the chaos. Delta-2's scream ended with an ugly gurgle – a wicked curved knife buried in her throat. Delta-4 and 5 both dropped with more acid to the face.

“Fuck! We're going after him – 6, get 4 and 5 out of here, 7, 12, with me, everyone else, fan out, get to cover!” Delta-1 hadn't taken too much damage – a smoking swath across his breastplate and that was it. Link swallowed a vicious oath as four of Delta's survivors bolted straight for him. He slipped the energy baton out of the thigh sheath and tucked it under one arm, scrambling back into the alley toward the ladder at its end.

“Dammit! Sir, it's Masters!”

“Apprehend him and get him back to Kingsley – Beta, I need backup now!” Link yanked himself up the ladder and raced toward the Greens highway. He could hear the Delta quartet behind him, but ahead of him was the very thief Delta-1, 7, and 12 had gone after. 

“Link, we might be able to help him, but I'm not finding any comm unit on him. Try to catch up!” Navi's voice was a little pitchy in his ear, and hard to hear under the whine of a stun gun charging behind him.

“Oh, sh-” He threw himself to the side, let himself slip off the edge and snagged the wood facade, swearing freely now as he shimmied across the building's face. If he dropped off here, he'd be in the open, but it'd be nothing to get into the maze of ruins just around the highway to the Greens.

“Don't suppose you can piggyback their signal and get me a location for the hacker, Nav?”

“I can try. You've got hostiles on your tail still, get moving.” The whine of the stun gun again; he slung himself backwards, huffing a hysterical laugh at the crackling behind him and the smell of scorched stone.

“That thing is set _way too high_.”

“The armor might absorb that, actually,” Navi commented.

“Fuck _me_.” 

“Masters!” He was half upright, shield over his shoulder, when Delta-1 rounded the corner. 

“Look, kid, I don't want to shoot you. Kingsley just wants to talk.” Link eased to his feet, letting the shield frame slide down his arm before activating it.

“Uh-huh. Well, that's what comms are for. Tell her to call me, we'll chat. Lots to catch up on, what with her being a mob boss holding my co-workers and bosses hostage.  
Awkward, right?” He let the baton unfold and tapped it against the wall.

“So. You don't want to shoot me, and I don't want to be here, so why don't we fulfill our mutual desire to not and let me go?” Delta-1 sighed and took aim.

Neither of them saw the thief until he dropped from the roof, smashing Delta-1 to the ground, stunning him, before driving one of those curved blade into the gap in his armor beneath one armor and twisting. He slung his weight into the man's throat, choking off any verbal response to the attack while Delta-1 twitched beneath him. Link gaped, flipping the baton and shield up as the thief rose, head cocked. Navi gave a low whistle in Link's ear (he really needed to get her away from Linebeck, she picked up the worst habits...) Then his thought process tapered off as he realized the reality of his position.

Link wasn't very tall. From what he understood, that wasn't all that strange among Hylians. The Kingsleys were all ridiculously tall, usually between 5' 10'' and six feet. Link was 5' 4''. The thief was easily a foot and some inches taller than him, had evaded and scattered a well trained squad of mercenaries after infiltrating and stealing something from them, and then murdered at least two of them in so many minutes. Link might have been trained by Impa and was an elite combatant by most standards, but with subpar weaponry against an essentially unknown assailant, he wouldn't last long in a straight up fight.

“You've been snooping, little Hylian.” Link sucked in a breath, ignored Navi's unnecessary commentary about types, and straightened up to his full slight height.

“I hear you've been giving Zelda a headache. I was hoping you could give me a hand.” The thief didn't reply, just looked him up and down. This close, Link could see that, above the mask, his eyes were a deep amber. Beneath the hood, something glinted. He forced himself not to twitch as the thief came close, one gloved hand brushing over his shoulder.  
“...Interesting.” He turned and strode out of the alley. Link jogged after him.

“Um, that's not a no, so I'm just going to-”

“What exactly are you looking for?”

“Insight,” Link said, winding around to cut the thief off. He received a flat look.

“Zelda took over Castle Corp. I need to know what she's going to do next.”

“She had me bring down the grid, I don't have any more insight into her plans that you do.”

“Wait, wait, wait – I have information to trade!” Navi buzzed. Link, as was his wont, ignored her. What he could see of the thief's expression didn't shift.

“I have access to Trine's archives. I know she's trying to use the Triforce program, and I know some of what she needs to activate it. I give you what I know, you give me a lead, I leave you alone.” The thief folded his arms, and Link ordered himself to think past the loud mantra of _'Holy shit muscles'_ ringing in his head.

“I'm not all that interested in deals with Hylians of late.” Link frowned.

“Look. We both need to get out of here. Maybe we should do that, then argue?” The thief stepped around him.

“You may argue to your heart's content. I am leaving.”

“You're Gerudo, right?” The thief froze, and Link twisted to stare at Navi's holoform. She hovered over his shoulder, hands on hips.

“Ganondorf. We're friends of Malon's and Telma.” She nodded to Link.

“She gave you that scanner, right? Show him.” Link looked between the thief and the FAIRY, sighed, and did as told.

The scanner was turned over, activated, deactivated, and handed back in silence, before the thief shook his head.

“Nabooru will skin me if I bring you and behead me if I don't.” He glanced around.

“Fine. Meet me at the Ghost Hunter's crossroads.” Link swallowed as his blood ran cold, but nodded. Ganondorf turned and loped out of the alley, even as Navi chirped, “Hostiles approaching. We should go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> D-d-d-dialogue! Well. I should actually say that in the next chapter, I'm betting. I was SO EFFING DISTRACTED while writing this, so it seems disjointed to me, but. Eh. ONWARDS. Also, you'll notice a main pairing has been added. I'll be honest - this was lowkey always planned, but I had to think about it. So. I will understand if you abandon ship -ha- now because it's not your cup of tea. I can only say it's not going to be super...anything. The pairing isn't really the main focus of this. Like, at all.


	5. Chapter 4

They split up past the old gate; Link wanted to complain that Ganondorf managed to hack the Castle Corp. perimeter defenses in the first place, but that seemed erroneous of him now. Ganondorf set off on foot, not straight south toward the crossroads but more west. Link just limped toward the point that marked where the city's first line of defenses ended and flopped to the ground.

“Navi, call Epona with the Ocarina.”

“Got it.” Normally Navi would have broadcast the call aloud, but even if patrols really weren't out (Link had hoped Zelda would at least have Knights out here, but no. Of course not.), she must not have wanted to alert any of the mercs. Epona appeared after a few minutes, slowing to a halt a few feet away. Link checked his stashed backup gear, put up most of his rations, and slung a leg over the bike with a little sigh. Epona's VI wasn't anywhere near developing into a proper AI, not for years, and only if he ditched the standard issue blocks, but she was smart enough to do most of what he needed at any given time in the Wilds, and to communicate with Navi pretty seamlessly on patrol.

“Navi, update her on the situation, just in case she needs to adjust behavior parameters in our downtime.” Never mind that he didn't know when that would be. He switched to autopilot and pulled up the map programmed into Epona's system in his helm.

A Knight patrol ranged anywhere from a mile to fifteen or so out from the city's original wall, where Castle Corp. had installed most of their first line defenses. Link didn't have a lot of long range patrols, that circled the city and a bit of the river they'd dammed to form the Zoran enclave. Every Knight did at least one, to complete their training requirements, but long range patrols meant spending a night or two in the Wilds. That said, his map around the city was pretty detailed, cribbed off Linebeck's, or filled in here and there by Telma or Ingo. There really wasn't much to see, but even if there was, there was only one rule for anyone in the city who went out in the Wilds – pass the Ghost Hunter's crossroads at your own risk.

Epona alerted him as they approached. He switched back to manual control and slowed down, kicking back to hover at the crater's edge. Thick fog, the kind that looked like you could cut into it and have it come away solid, blanketed the space a few miles down. Link wasn't even sure crater was correct – no one knew what was down there, but you could hear it. The occasional wail of an alarm, muffled crying, once or twice an ominous boom as if something heavy was dropped or a door slammed shut. Drones recorded it going on every day, all day, at irregular intervals, all except at midnight. For twelve minutes, the space was silent, and then a single bell, the old fashioned metal behemoth sort, would ring. And then it would all begin again. A pair of highways had intersected here, once upon a time, but now the remains marched out in the four cardinal directions, inaccessible from the nexus they'd crossed. 

“Scans aren't turning anything up. I don't think Ganondorf's here yet either,” Navi said, reclining between Epona's handlebars. Link backed up and switched back to wheels before hopping off to sit against the bike, squinting at the hazy sun. The skies were never clear per se in the Fields, but he didn't seen any sign of a storm coming in. Digging his heels into the sandy dirt, he tugged the helm off and hitched it to dangle off one handlebar, dragging his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

“So,” he tilted his head back to look up at Navi, only really catching a blue glow out of his periphery, “we're teaming up with a Gerudo thief to do what again?” He'd never operated like Impa. Impa formulated a plan, considered it, edited, and enacted it, usually all by herself, or with minimal direction to underlings. Link was a talker. It was part of the reason Saria had connected him and Navi in the first place; Navi let him use her to sound out his thought process. It dramatically decreased the number of incidents he ended up in growing up, and even now kept him out of trouble more often than not, no matter what Malon might think.

“We should find out what he stole. It might be company property,” he continued, letting his head loll so he was staring out toward the city. He could see everything on a flat like they were on, with no highways between them. He'd probably even see Ganondorf coming.

“Wish Telma had been able to give me an update on everyone inside HQ.” Navi twisted and leaned over, half dangling off the bike over him.

“We've got a lead. Ganondorf might have more information on the grid for us. Maybe we can even trade something to get back in without Zelda knowing. But we really should find out what's going on with all this Trine stuff. Just us two can't take on a merc company by ourselves, and we can't involve Malon and everyone.” Link twitched at the thought and shook his head.

“So, what? We talk to the Gerudo, and then...”

“Hopefully Saria will have something about that proxy the system couldn't locate. If not, it did mention another one's location.”

“Right. Blue Road. There's no Blue Road in the city.”

“Maybe it was something out here?”

“Well. Let's see if we can trade for an updated map from the Gerudo. Even if Ganondorf can't help with Zelda, that's a start at least. While we're at it, can you still access Trine's archives?” Navi hummed and swung upright, hovering a bit as she turned a little transparent, lines of code spiraling in a lazy dance inside her.

“Some. It seems like for security reasons, we have to actually have clearance from the founders or the other archive guardians. There's locations on all the archive hubs though.” His map flashed up, and shining points appeared, one after another, including one turned bright green out where they'd emerged after fleeing headquarters.

“FAIRY Fountains. Cute.” The map faded away, and Navi came to float at eye level.

“So that's what we're doing?”

“Gerudo first, then. Well. We'll go from there.” He glanced at the sky again. It was late morning; he'd assumed Ganondorf had a vehicle, but if he was on foot, who knew when he'd arrive. Huffing a sigh, he grabbed a clod of dirt and chucked it into the crater, watching it arc into the fog. No sign of impact.

“Don't suppose you want to go down there and check things out, Nav?”

“Um, no? We tried that with a drone, dummy, it shorted out and we never got it back. If whatever is down there can mess with a VI, I'm not going anywhere near it.” Link rolled his eyes and got to his feet, looking around them. Highways in every direction you looked, half crumbling and collapsed, and no noise besides wind, the crater, and an engine getting louder by the second.

Wait, engine? 

Navi gave one of those Linebeck whistles as Link turned to watch a hulking monster of a bike roar towards them. It was every bit as ostentatious as Ganondorf's weird armor, lit from within by a ruddy blaze of light, its bulky form blocked with shining, sharply curved plates. They lent a similar elegance to that of Epona's sleek frame, but terminated in vicious arcs and points, giving a spiny, threatening silhouette instead of a flowing one. Link swung back onto Epona and tugged his helmet back on as Ganondorf pulled up beside them to idle. Even then, the engine rumbled and growled, more living thing than simple propellant. 

“Stay close, Hylian. We're headed further west.” He'd swapped the cloth mask for a jagged black gas mask. Whether the voice modulation was accidental or incidental, Link didn't know.

“Lead the way then.” He thought he caught an eye roll before the Gerudo flicked a fist out in the direction he'd said. Link caught the glint of a light between his knuckles, before the bike roared beneath him and surged forward, brilliant lights erupting beneath its three wheels like a fire display. 

“Navi, is that obnoxious or am I jealous?” 

“Definitely jealous.” Epona purred beneath him, and he smoothed a hand over one handlebar.

“You're beautiful and stealthy, love. It's not about the ridiculously shiny lights or frankly highly unsettling engine sounds. It's about performance.” Navi snorted and Link barked a laugh, wheeling the bike and kicking back to hover again before following.

They rode in relative quiet, Ganondorf signaling turns with that little light between his fingers now and then, directing them around unseen drops beneath the treacherous crust as the Fields gave way to dust and baked earth. Fucking hot and dry was apparently their destination, the expanse that bled into the mountains Hyrule City was cradled by. There was even less out here than on the plains – mines and debris, mostly. Link didn't know anyone but Telma and Rusl who'd ever come out here.

He almost missed the signal, but just barely slowed before he could catch Ganondorf's tail, easing himself alongside the Gerudo. He slowed to a halt and pulled off the mask, tossing it into a little pod that snicked shut with a clank. Link fought a frown when he saw he wore the cloth mask still beneath it.

“It's just you and me out here, what are you hiding from?” He received a sardonic slant of arched brows (how in the hell could he communicate that so clearly?). After a moment, Ganondorf tugged the mask down and shoved back the hood.

“I don't suppose you've ever had to ride in a dust storm, have you?” Without either mask, the man's voice was low and throaty, dare Link say, almost husky, and heavily accented. The shell of one pointed ear was cradled in dull gold, another pair of studs bisected his left eyebrow, and a heavy gem – an honest to truth old fashioned crimson rupee, sat between them, in the center of his forehead, set in the same dull metal as the studs and ear cuff.

When the eyebrow arched higher, a little sarcastic this time, Link shook himself and flapped a hand in dismissal.

“Okay, fine, so you've got a reason. Whatever. Where are we?” Amber eyes traced over him, a deliberate cataloging like something Impa would do, before they turned and Ganondorf nodded.

“Beyond the cliffs, the Syndicate has a bunker.” He turned back to Link.

“I can't ask you to deactivate the AI, but any tracking device, or logging program in the bike – off. We've kept this place a secret for years. One outsider could destroy that.” Link narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to argue, when Navi shimmered into view with a chime.

“Why? I mean, why do you care, besides, you know, because it's where you live?” Ganondorf huffed, a hollow puppet of a laugh with all the self deprecation of a real one.

“I've kept my band and the rest of the Syndicate out of this business with Kingsley, but I've pissed her off now. If she can somehow track you, with your consent or not, she won't hesitate to use them against me. This was my mistake, I won't drag them into it.” Navi shot Link a pleading look, but he was already nodding.

“Got it. Nav, don't track this, see if you can set a false trail. I don't know if Impa's tracking for Epona is encrypted, but, you know.” He shrugged.

“Safe, not sorry.” Navi brightened with agreement and flashed out of sight, while Link deactivated Epona's automatic mapping and guidance systems.

“Thank you.” He looked up and felt his smile freeze on his face at the intensely earnest look settled on him. Clearing his throat, he rolled his shoulders and shrugged again.

“No problem.” Ganondorf turned away, eyes back on the wall of stone rising up before them. Link could make out a couple gaps if he squinted through the glare and zoomed in, but it was still hard to track. Navi popped back up.

“Ready.” Link glanced at Ganondorf, who nodded and kicked forward with a growl, Epona humming near silent just behind him.

 

The cliffs were a maze of stone corridors, some natural, others blasted open during the war. The Gerudo had sheltered there after finding most of the Wilds inhospitable and unstable, too dangerous even for a people who, like the Hylians, had a reputation for sheer doggedness, a determination to survive unmatched by most. Beyond was a true desert, largely untouched by the war, but harsh even for – or especially for – the newly minted nomads. They'd found evidence of one of Trine's earliest labs there, and set up in a bunker meant, presumably, for the company executives to use in the event of an attack on Hyrule City driving them out. Now, Gerudo bands rotated across the Wilds, always spiraling back to the strip of stone between cliffs and desert, where the Syndicate bunker was embedded.

Ganondorf didn't doubt the Hylian had done as asked. Even if he hadn't, the surreptitious application of jamming beacons and the flare wipes should erase any immediate data regarding the area as they approached. 

It was a relief to exit the shaded labyrinth and pull out onto the Syndicate row. Just a few automated turrets, one guard post, and rows upon rows of jury-rigged, salvage cobble bikes, glittering with the traditional red and gold plates of Gerudo pride. He led the Hylian just before the guard post and raised a fist in signal, letting the receiver verify the laser before dismounting.

“Here,” he tugged one of his armbands off and tossed it to the Hylian, who snagged it out of the air with ease. “Hang it off a handlebar, no one will touch her with my mark on.” He ignored the obvious puzzlement the other man broadcasted and wheeled the bike up to where he saw Nabooru's, in the shadow of the guard post.

“Ganondorf!” He flicked a salute at Mirani, who jogged away from her wife to sock him in the shoulder.

“Where the hell were you? Nabooru said you disappeared for a week.”

“Had a job, didn't think it would pan out right.” Mirani wrinkled her nose and nodded, before jerking her head toward the Hylian.

“With him?”

“Not exactly. He wants information.”

“So you brought him home with you?” Mirani scoffed and leaned around him, whistling.

“Hylian! Come here!” He watched the short man tug the helmet off and hang it from the bike's handlebars before he joined them, eyebrows furrowed.

“He's a little short for you, isn't he?” Ganondorf chuckled at the Hylian's sputter.

“I am a _perfectly respectable_ height!” Rolling his eyes, Ganondorf shoved him toward the bunker.

“For a child, maybe. Let's get this over with.” The Hylian narrowed his eyes up at him and huffed, but stumbled forward anyway, eyes flicking here and there with obvious curiosity. Mirani fell in step with them, barking at one of the bunker guards to let them in.

Ganondorf felt his shoulders relax once inside. The smell of sand and sun baked earth was familiar, but not as much home as recycled air and metal. He trailed a hand over a worn tapestry as they passed it, making sure to slow for the Hylian even as Mirani took lead.

“No business until Nabooru's seen you and everyone's eaten, got it?” 

“You think you can wait that long?” He asked the Hylian, who shrugged.

“Your place, your rules.”

“Damn right,” Mirani said, turning a corner and punching in the code to the living wing. The intercom over the door crackled.

“Who's with you, Mirani?”

“Ganondorf's back – brought a client with him.”

“He _what_?” Somewhere behind the speaker came the muffled, “Nabooru's going to kill him. Bets, anyone?”

“Shut up, Mafi. Ganondorf, come in. Mirani, take the client to be scrubbed, then bring 'em back. We'll get everyone set and fit after lunch.”

“Got it.” She looked at Link.

“You heard her, Hylian. This way.” She flicked her high ponytail over one shoulder and strode off, leaving Link to shoot an uncertain glance at Ganondorf before following. The door slid open, and Ganondorf ambled in, accepted a couple friendly punches and cheek kisses as he wound down toward where he was told Nabooru was.

Their band was set up in the closest suite to the door to the main living area. His brother was sprawled across their cousin's lap, letting her fiddle with his binder while he untangled wires in a little cleaning bot. They both looked up and nodded toward the back of the suite, where Nabooru was seated cross legged on a low bench, an array of tablets in front of her and a little in-house comm unit beside her.

“No, I checked – the nests are fine, but we should leave off any meat for the next few months, harvest only half the eggs. The numbers make me optimistic, at least.” Her eyes flicked over the tablets as she continued talking. Ganondorf stopped a couple feet away, waiting until she pushed the tablets aside and signed off before clearing his throat.

“You gave me a fucking heart attack, you bastard.” She unfolded and stepped over the low table to sling her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled the top of her head.

“Sorry. I didn't know how things would play out.”

“Heard you brought someone back.”

“Wouldn't have if I hadn't fucked up so badly. Might need him.” Her brow furrowed, she leaned back, tracing his face with her eyes.

“What happened?”

“I did a job for the Kingsley woman. Straightforward, but it sounds like she used the opening to stage a coup, and is fucking with Trine tech.” Nabooru's expression went dark, and he nodded.

“So. This guy is a target of hers, but it sounds like he has information. A trade, probably. He's wearing Trine tech, might be willing to pass something on. He knows Malon and Telma. Said he's a friend, but.” He shrugged, and Nabooru nodded, before kissing both cheeks.

“Alright. Lunch before business.”

“Mirani took him to get scrubbed.” She stepped past him as if to head into the main lounge, then paused.

“Think he might spend the night with some of the women?” Ganondorf shrugged again.

“Maybe. Ask him after we've got everything cleared up.” She clicked her tongue.

“I'm going to see if I can call Telma. Go clean up, get changed. Your Hylian will keep.”

Getting clean was a relief. In fresh clothing, he made his way topside again to grab his gear off Strife, leaving the stolen drive behind after a moment's hesitation. When he got back, he found the Hylian shifting his weight from one foot to the other in the middle of the dining room, surrounded by grinning Gerudo, his AI partner 'perched' on his shoulder. Nabooru stood in front of him, hands on hips, one eyebrow arched and mouth slanted in a considering smirk. She shot him a look when he tossed his gear in the suite and sprawled on the fluffy pile of cushions between his brother and cousin.

“Not going to introduce him?” Ganondorf flicked a glance at the Hylian and shrugged.

“I would if I could.” His brother dug his elbow into his ribs.

“You brought him home and didn't even get his name? You'd think we raised you in the Wilds!”

“You did, brat,” he countered, dragging him into a headlock and ruffling his hair. The AI chimed what sounded like a laugh.

“I'm Navi. This is Link.” Geden snorted, and Ganondorf boxed his ears gently before shoving him off him.

“Shut it, Ged,” Nabooru ordered, looking Link up and down.

“Brother says you mentioned Malon and Telma.” The Hylian nodded.

“Telma gave me a scanner?” Nabooru held out a hand, and the Hylian fished it free of the pack on his hip, passing it over. She flipped it over, examining it the same as Ganondorf had.

“So you have a scanner. You could of stolen it,” she said, gesturing with it. Link snorted.

“I mean, sure, I _could_ have. I didn't.”

“I'm just supposed to take your word on it?”

“I'm already here. What are you going to do, kill me?” Several people snickered, and one woman laughed, but Ganondorf kept his eyes on his sister. She was no less protective of their people than he was, and no less likely to do exactly that.

“I'll vouch for him, Nabooru,” he said, feeling all eyes swing to him. She raised an eyebrow.

“The bike's got Malon's stamp all over it,” he offered, and now both eyebrows rose.

“Really?”

“She's the one who built her for me, her and Talon,” Link said. Nabooru looked him up and down again before tossing the scanner back.

“How's the old lug doing? Not drinking anymore, is he?”

“Hasn't had a drop in over fifteen years,” Link said, and Nabooru nodded.

“Good. All right, let's eat! Geden, grab the plates for the girls on duty.” Geden hopped up to do as told, and Link slipped into the spot he vacated, shifting for a bit before relaxing into the cushions.

“So, she's...?”

“My sister. Older. Geden's my brother. Mirani's a distant cousin. We've got a couple hundred families, all told. Bands aren't necessarily familial, but most are.”

“You and your brother aren't the only men left, are you?” Ganondorf pushed upright and leaned on one arm to look down at him.

“Why.”

“Okay, first, question marks are a thing, I can hear you stating that question. Second, no reason? I'm curious? Telma talks about you guys a little, and Malon only knows what she's told her.” After another moment of looking the other man over, Ganondorf sank back into the cushions.

“Less than two percent of us are male. About five percent of us can assist with procreation, and only four percent actually want to. The only men you'll see here for now will be my brother and I, and our uncle, unless Tasan is back with his boys.” He glanced over again.

“That sate your curiosity.” Link scoffed.

“For now.” He stretched and twisted until he was on his stomach, examining the table in front of them upside down. Dark blonde hair fell into bright blue eyes narrowed with concentration. Ganondorf saw something glint off his ear when he swung upright again; when he shoved his hair behind his ears, he realized it was a heavy curl of a silver earring, covered in rough etchings. He glanced up at Navi, hovering over him.

“How's it going, Nav?”

“Everything's pretty lowtech in here. I've got all auto-updating programs suspended, so. I'm. Hanging.” She drifted over to the table.

“Is it usual to have clients come out here?”

“Not really. Usually if someone's brought in, it's to try to expand the gene pool, or to stay.” Link blinked.

“Uh. Is that a requirement of this? Because I'm not big on...any of that. Not that you aren't all really attractive.” He blinked again and scowled at Navi, who snorted at him.

“I'm not an autocorrect function, I'm not editing everything you say before you say it, stupid.” Ganondorf began to respond, only to grunt in annoyance as Geden slung himself across him, resting his elbows on his knee to nudge Link.

“So that's a no?”

“What? Uh, yeah? I mean. I guess if you guys really needed me to? Except you know, Ganondorf is here, why isn't he...doing...it.” He grimaced and Geden snorted.

“Brother's got two daughters already, might have another on the way.” He twisted to look back at Ganondorf.

“Nanine is pregnant but we don't know if it's yours or Tasan's.” Ganondorf inclined his head, and Geden turned back to Link. Link looked more confused.

“So...no wife? Do you guys not get married?”

“Sure we do. What does that have to do with anything?” Link frowned.

“Good point.” Geden sat up and slid off Ganondorf to slump against his side.

“Bring anything interesting back?” Link scoffed.

“What, I'm not interesting?”

“Eh. I'll give you a six out of ten.” The Hylian feigned offense and swept an arm out.

“I'm at _least_ an eight, thank you.”

“You're obnoxious,” Mirani said as she passed. Link stuck his tongue out at her.

“At least I'm not wearing _literal money_ while stealing from a heavily fortified compound.” 

“It just proves you have no imagination,” Ganondorf drawled, and Link squawked while Navi rang with laughter.

Most of the central table was set, and steaming pots of tea were set on every one of the smaller ones, as the elders filed in. Gurenish shooed Geden over to Link's over side to sit beside Ganondorf, and Nabooru folded herself in beside him. The youngest began pouring tea and passing platters to the eldest, and Geden helpfully explained service to Link, while Navi floated around them. After a moment, conversation picked back up, with Geden and Mirani monopolizing the Hylian's attention. Ganondorf watched platters spiral around the space, piling food onto the Hylian's plate without asking. He wasn't surprised when his uncle's voice murmured in his ear.

“It is dangerous to turn the stones of Trine, nephew.” Ganondorf met Gurenish's eyes and sighed.

“I know,” he said, just as quiet, “but if I've caused this, I must see it fixed.” Gurenish inclined his head and said nothing more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand there's the Gerudo! I'm super hyped about them, guys, but I'm not going to go into major detail because I don't want to bog the narrative down. Even though I am So Excited. Anyway, it occurred to me recentlyish (not that recently, but whatever) that for years I was all 'How can the Gerudo have only one dude, how?????' but now I'm all 'Trans people exists and you're a dummy, except not because you were what, six or seven when you first played OoT properly?' So yeah. That's my go-to explanation, trans and nonbinary people. Of course, that's irrelevant in this fic technically because Ganondorf isn't the only cis male. So. 
> 
> Um, Gurenish and Mirani are Gerudo OCs from two other fics - War Within, which isn't finished, probably never will be, and isn't posted here, and Inexplicable Development, which is. I might also refer to yet another OC from yet another unfinished never to see the light of day fic later. It's unlikely and mostly irrelevant but eh.
> 
> This chapter fought me, man. My first draft ended up corrupted and didn't auto-backup, and like the dummy I am, I didn't think to manually do it either, so. This isn't the original beginning, but I'm pretty contented with it, otherwise. Mind the tags, my friends, they'll be updated almost every chapter.


	6. Chapter 5

Link was distracted by Geden's explanations of how meals went, and then overwhelmed by the food offered. He'd expected rehydrated ration packs, or something to that effect, but what he got was about fifty different freshly prepared dishes, only three or four he recognized. Ganondorf didn't seem fazed (well, why would he be, it was his people's food), and continued to put bits of everything on the plate Link was provided.

“Um. So. What are you doing?” He watched Ganondorf spoon what looked like pickled eggs onto the plate.

“Just try everything, don't bother trying to finish it all, someone else will eat your leftovers.” Navi settled behind Link's ear.

“Where are guys getting all of this? There aren't merchant scrubs out here, surely?”

“Everything's grown down here,” Geden said around a mouthful of what looked like oily noodles. Ganondorf cut him a look and the other man swallowed before grinning sheepishly.

“Sorry. I swear most of us have manners.”

“You just forget them a week into the Wilds,” Ganondorf's uncle drawled. The thin, spidery man had introduced himself as Gurenish, once lunch was underway, and seemed to command a great deal of the room's attention at any given time. Link had figured out that the elders were pretty important – all between the ages of fifty and seventy, he'd guess, probably served as a governing council of some sort or something. He'd ask later – right now he had food to address.

After a second of deliberation, he tried the noodles Geden was devouring. Dark, slick with oil and dusted with red flakes, they had a mild, grainy taste, finishing with a bite of heat Link decided he liked. There didn't seem to be any meat on the table besides a couple jerky strips – Cuccoo jerky, Geden told him.

“We don't raise anything else down here. Sometimes we get dried fish or something from some of the scrubs while we're out of the Wilds, but most of the time we use that to supplement rations while we're out.”

“So you're self sufficient?”

“We have to be,” Nabooru said. “It isn't as if we can trade in Hyrule City, and it's the only settlement left besides us.” Link winced.

“Right.” He tried one of the pickled eggs – weird, sweet, not really to his taste – and chased it down with the woody tea everyone was drinking. Ganondorf idly unrolled one of the artful little lettuce flowers stuffed with slices of hardboiled egg and slivers of nuts, drizzled with some kind of fragrant dressing. Link couldn't identify eighty percent of what he was looking at, but scans told him what he could and couldn't eat (he had a mild allergy to Deku nuts, which were barely edible but still edible enough. Turned out, most Gerudo cuisine didn't use them, what little did he was fine with passing on). Everything was pretty good – better than the rations he subsisted on when he didn't feel like dragging himself to Malon's for soup and steaks on those rare occasions the Gormon brothers felt like delivering meat to Ingo.

A clay jug was circling the room, kept out of reach of the children littering the floor – and when it reached them, Link realized why after taking a whiff.

“You have beer out here?” Ganondorf took a swig and passed it to Nabooru, eyebrow raised (Link was getting tired of eloquent eyebrows. It was a thing here. People communicated with eyebrows and head tilts, and laughed at him when he huffed about it). 

“Why wouldn't we?” Before Link could take the jug from Nabooru, Mirani snagged it and dangled it over his head.

“You sure you're old enough to drink this, Hylian?” Geden snatched the jug and tossed it back to Link, who just managed to catch it before it sloshed all over the table.

“Brother isn't dragging children after him, Mirani. It sounds like you need to stop drinking for the night before you make an ass of yourself.” Mirani tackled him, and both of them tumbled away from the tables, children dodging out of the way and throwing little tassled pillows at them as punishment. Nabooru rolled her eyes at them, but before she could chastise either one, was called over to a pair of older women across the room. Link continued to work his way around his plate, wondering if he could get recipes for some of the dishes when Ganondorf nudged him.

“It looks like the aunts are ready for you. Tell me when you're done.” Link glanced at his mostly empty plate.

“Um, now is good.”

“Be sure – if you don't get seconds in now, you won't get them at all.” After another glance, he piled more of the spiced oily noodles and a couple honeyed fruits wrapped in leaves and studded with nuts onto the plate. Ganondorf poured himself another cup of tea and nibbled on jerky while he finished. When he did, the plate was pushed to the middle of the table – “Someone will grab it during clean up.” – and he was led from the room.

Instead of meeting with the two women who had called Nabooru over, he was led deeper into the bunker, out of the living wing and down a hall draped with more of the old tapestries he'd seen when they'd come in. They seemed even older than those, while the ones he'd seen in the living wing seemed fairly new.

“The aunts are the oldest of us,” Ganondorf said as he raised a fist to the scanner. Link could see now the band around his middle finger, the source of the light he'd seen when they'd first left the crossroads. The scanner beeped, and the door slid open with a hum. Ganondorf ducked inside, rolling his eyes at Link's smirk when the Hylian sauntered after him without issue.

“Are they actually your aunts, or...?”

“They're more like my great great aunts, or something like that. I know they're my blood, but that's all I know. Since they aren't in the progenitor pool anymore, they aren't included in the most recent bloodline records. I'd have to dig to tell you exactly how we're related. Gure might know, he's one of our record keepers.” They were heading down a series of short halls, each lined with display cases. Most had artifacts of the Gerudo in them, but the further in they went, the more the contents turned to old tech, some even older than the Trine tech Link was familiar with.

“The aunts are inventors. Some of the less respectful say senile tinkerers, but they've developed most of our defenses and the customized tech in our bikes. Normally you'd be dealing with Nabooru, or one of the other band leaders, maybe even one of the elders, but with what I brought back from the city and the job for Kingsley, the aunts will want to deal with it themselves.” He paused at the next door.

“Don't make eye contact for too long – if you're answering a question, yes, but don't stare. Don't dodge their eyes either, try not to fidget.” Link stared at him.

“Seriously?”

“The first two are rude, the last annoys them.” He rapped on the door. After a moment a creaking voice barked through the intercom.

“What?”

“It's me, auntie. I brought the Hylian.”

“Well, let him in Kotake!” Link flinched at the shriek and the garble of another language – sounded like cursing, might be Gerudo – before the door screeched open and a gnarled brown face squinted down at him.

“Well, come in, come in! Don't stand there slack jawed like some brainless cow!” Ganondorf nudged him forward, close on heels as the door slammed shut behind them. He performed a little bow, resting a hand in the small of Link's back as he straightened up.

“Aunts, this is Link and Navi.” Navi popped up over Link's shoulder and waved. Another little squawk sounded, and another little woman hobbled into the light.

“What's this? A FAIRY? Not one of Trine's, no. Where do you come from, hmm?”

“I was developed by Saria of Great Deku Tree Technologies,” Navi said, bobbing a little bow herself. 

“Hmph. Well then.” Two pairs of cloudy amber eyes fell on Link.

“Link, my aunts, Koume and Kotake. Stop glaring at him, aunties, he's not done anything to deserve that.” One of the aunts whipped around, looking up her crooked hooked nose at Ganondorf.

“Oh, like you have? Off for a week with no word, come back with a stranger after your sister? What have you been doing, little boy?” Link smothered his laugh with a soft cough. Ganondorf dug his fingers into his back in warning.

“I had a job. It's...caused a few problems. Problems with Trine.” The twin women narrowed their eyes at him as one.

“Hmph. Sit then, go on. Let's hear what you've done.” Lights flicked on the further in they went. Ganondorf sat on the floor, but Link was waved to a stool. Koume (or...was that Kotake?) waved a hand at Ganondorf.

“Kingsley paid me to hack one of the the grid maintenance hubs and queue up a rewrite of the existing Triforce program to bring down the grid for a set period. According to Link, she invaded the city, took over Castle Corp., and is trying to access the original Triforce.” One aunt scoffed.

“The chit's out of luck, those three were mad, but not stupid. There are contingencies in place.”

“Whatever this rewrite was, it seems to have taken the grid down completely,” Link said. “It hasn't kicked back in since I left.” He glanced up at Navi, who nodded.

“I'd have gotten an update by now, we're still close enough to the city. It's still down.” 

“None of that's a Gerudo concern,” Koume (he was sure now, she had a red motif on the heavy leather apron she wore, while Kotake had blue) flapped a hand at Ganondorf. 

“Something happened, or you wouldn't have taken so long.”

“Kingsley refused to pay, tried to bring me in. She swore she had a way to track me. I checked – nothing,” he assured them when their eyes narrowed. “I was done in a couple of days, but I went into the city when I realized she was lying. She'd paid Nabooru before this to find some things in those old Trine labs in the Wilds – three drives. I planned to steal them and come back. I only got one before her mercenaries found me.” He sighed.

“Hmph. The girl has guts maybe, but no sense,” Kotake said to Koume, who nodded.

“This drive – what was on it?”

“I didn't get a chance to check. It's on Strife right now.”

“Go get it. You,” Kotake turned to Link. “Why are you here, then?” He hesitated, and looked at Navi. He'd managed to convince Mirani to let him stash the Trine armor on Epona, but he still had the drive Impa had passed on on hand, with most of his kit. He thought it was a little weird they were fine with him coming in armed – but then, he was one Knight against who knew how many Gerudo.

“My boss ordered me to get out of headquarters with a drive. I think she expected Zelda's takeover but not the blackout. It has details on the Triforce program – a friend of mine looked it over and said it's impossible to fully understand with just her knowledge set, but what we do know is Zelda can't implement the full program without hardware in Trine's city headquarters and the founders or their proxies. The proxies are, um. Still active. Or at least one is.” He slipped the drive out of his pack and held it out. Navi was buzzing in his ear but not making any attempt to stall the pair. Both women exchanged a look, before Koume snatched up the drive and waddled over to one of the many monitors. Navi shot Link a look, who shrugged.

“Not happy, little FAIRY?” Navi jumped and whipped around to stare at Kotake, who hacked a cackle.

“I didn't – uh-”

“She's just cautious,” Link said. Navi glowered at him.

“And you're an idiot.” He shrugged, and Kotake's cackle got a little louder.

“The boy's no fool, he knows who to trust,” snapped Koume, turning back to them. 

“That sounded dangerously close to approval, auntie.” Ganondorf tossed the drive to Link, who turned it over in his hands. Unlike the silvery thing Impa had given him, this was bright red, with the same Trine logo in gold on one side. It had an odd shape to it, sort of pointy, with a gold seam around its edge.

“Huh. Looks a little like the one I had.”

“Give it.” A gnarled hand with long nails appeared under his nose, fingers flicking. Leaning back and eyeing the nails warily, Link dropped the drive into Kotake's hand. She shuffled over to a different station, while Koume muttered over the one in front of here.

“I see what you friend means. Biology, astronomy, chemistry, a bunch of internal fields besides, no less than thirty two specializations in engineering alone. Kotake!” Her sister hissed at her to shush, tapping away at her own interface.

“This was Din's. The Ruby Key, it says.” Koume's eyes narrowed, and she turned back to her screen.

“The Ruby, huh? There's something here – three keys, sister. The Emerald was Farore's, the Ruby Din's, the Sapphire Nayru's. Pah! Useless theatrics, but they do have something on each one for the Triforce program to be...unlocked, it says.” Both women turned and eyed Link and Ganondorf.

“Kingsley is playing with something she doesn't understand. You said she had your band find three of these?”

“Then she has the Emerald and Sapphire,” Link said. Ganondorf made a low sound in the back of his throat like a growl.

“Hush up. The girl can't do anything without these,” Kotake waved at the Ruby and the silver drive Link had brought, “the founder proxies, and what's referred to here as the Master Key.” She squinted at her screen.

“Shouldn't get involved,” Koume muttered.

“We're already involved, you think the little brat will just let the boys go?” Kotake sniffed.

“The others-”

“We're safe here if they go and deal with it,” Kotake flapped a hand at Link and Ganondorf.

“What, you're just volunteering us?” Navi snapped. “We have our own problems!”

“This is your problem,” Koume said. “We don't have to help you, little FAIRY, remember that. We will though. Trine made a mess of everything, can't have some spoilt child making it worse, not when things are coming around now.” She shared a look with Kotake and sighed.

“Fine.” She ejected the silver drive and passed it back to Link.

“We'll keep the Ruby here. Best we call the others and get you both outfitted.”

“Wait, what exactly do you expect from us?” Link asked. He looked at Ganondorf.

“Why are you just going along with this?” Ganondorf sighed.

“Because they're right. Would you rather do this alone?”

“Well no, but I don't know any of you!”

“You ate the food,” Kotake said, smacking him on the shoulder, “you'll take the help. Go on, shoo. We have to prepare.”

 

Ganondorf led him back to the living wing and left him with Geden. Link was looking forward to a good old fashioned sulk, but the younger Gerudo man was having none of it.

“I'll show you around. You may as well see what's here, it sounds like we'll be seeing more of you.” He dodged Link's elbow, snickering at his muttered, “Not that much more.” Navi flitted after them as Geden explained the bunker's layout, offering to upload a map to her hardware.

“It's pretty big. It was probably for Trine execs to hide out in if things went south up in the city. We had to shut down a few systems in the last ten years because we can't do proper upkeep on them, but it wasn't anything much – luxury stuff mostly.” The living wing was opposite the training facilities. The kitchens and gardens were adjacent to that, Koume and Kotake's lab in the deepest parts of the bunker with the archives and emergency transport.

“Wouldn't be able to get everyone out, but the people we need to worry most about – kids, parents, archivists and the aunts.”

“You've never had to use it, right?” Link asked.

“Of course not. Everyone we bring back stays or passed the tests, so they won't say anything. You're the weird one. Never thought big brother would bring someone back, not and not want them to stick around.” Link decided not to examine that too closely, even as Telma's words came back to him.

“Telma said Ganondorf was the only man left in Nabooru's family.” Navi buzzed loudly, and Link blinked.

“What?”

“Seriously, Link?”

“No, it's okay. Telma's never met Gure, archivists don't leave the bunker. She was out here with her mother for years, but she decided to live back in the city. She hasn't seen me since I transitioned, and Nabooru probably didn't think to mention it.” He shrugged.

“Are you worried? About...”

“Dying out? Sure, but who isn't out here? The war didn't do anyone any favors.”

“Right,” Link murmured, trailing after him as he padded up a ramp.

“This is where the little gardens are. Families get their own plot, if they want, or they can forfeit it to merge with someone else's. It's mostly spices, herbs, that kind of thing.” They were on a stone terrace, hidden by the cliffs and shaded by a camouflaged overhang – faded cloth riveted to the bunker wall. Geden crouched beside his family's plot, tugged a couple weeds, and waved at a little gate at the terrace's far end.

“There's fig trees and the like below us. The bee hives are down there too, with the flowers.” Link had seen a few of the edible blossoms in question during lunch.

“Sounds like a lot of upkeep.”

“Eh, sure, but we have people here all the time – it's just a question of who. Archivists, the aunts, maintenance and guards don't leave. Kids, obviously, most progenitors. I mean, Nabooru and Mirani, Ganondorf, Tasan and his sons, they're all in the progenitor pool, but they don't stick around because they're better out in the field. If Nabooru got pregnant, she'd stay here and Ganondorf would lead the band, or maybe Shiina when she's old enough.”

“You said Ganondorf has kids. He isn't raising them?”

“Nope. He only fathers children for parents who want them but can't produce them themselves. If we had the right equipment here, we probably could forgo even that, but we don't have systems stable enough for artificial insemination. But yeah – sure, if one of his kids wants to join our band when they're old enough, they can, blood is blood.” He cracked his neck.

“It's really different in the city?”

“I mean. We're not that worried about keeping the population up. And most kids belong to married couples, or triads, or whatever configuration you've got. There's some orphans, but they all have someone to keep an eye on them. Telma has a couple living with her right now, one of my neighbors has a few charges.”

“Eh. But you've got Warborn too. It's just us.” He ruffled his thick red hair and shrugged.

“So, you said Malon built your bike? Can I see her?” Link grinned, and then laughed at Navi's scoff.

“See? _Her_. Yeah, come on.” Geden popped to his feet and led the way out, whistling as he went. Link was still a little surprised by how similar everyone looked around here. Everyone was brown skinned, some darker than others – Nabooru and Ganondorf ran darker than Mirani, for instance. He knew from Malon that red hair was the norm as well, the dark red Ganondorf, Nabooru, and Geden all had being the most common shade. He passed one child with hair that was verging on blonde, and a young woman with blue eyes – signs of their mixed racial heritage, he guessed. Most of the Gerudo had the same amber eyes as Ganondorf.

Ganondorf's family seemed to be what was typical in the Gerudo, actually. The dark red hair, dark brown skin, amber eyes, heavy brows and hooked noses were prevalent everywhere he looked. Height did vary, though – while most people here were taller than him, it wasn't by the ridiculous margin between him and Ganondorf. Nabooru and Gurenish were also very tall, more in line with the Kingsleys. Geden at least was only about three inches taller than him.

They weren't the only ones on the stone strip when they came up into the sunlight. Bands chatted amongst themselves, working on their bikes or going over their other gear. He'd noticed that most of the bikes were like Ganondorf's – large, powerful vehicles, probably meant for hauling salvage, all with similar ornamentation. There seemed to be some specialization within each band. He pointed it out to Geden, who nodded.

“Good eye. Yeah, most of us have mules, but there's a couple like Mirani's for scouting – fast, quiet, rudimentary camouflage – or med bikes, for field emergencies. There's some practice bikes back there, for the older kids,” he pointed at a little roped off area. “Have them practice before they join the band, if they do.” He slowed to a halt and whistled.

“Wow. She's gorgeous.” Link grinned again and padded over to wheel Epona into the sunlight. A couple people looked up from their work, or broke off entirely to join the pair. Geden crouched next to him.

“Convertible hover system?” He asked, and Link nodded, eyebrow raised. He looked it over with an expert eye, occasionally humming or whistling with surprise or approval.

“Starting to think we should have brought Uncle Talon and our cousin back,” he said, flopped back to sit beside Link. Link snorted.

“You would have caused a riot. A lot of people rely on Talon to keep everything running smoothly. I think the work helps him.”

“Still. It's good work. Probably helps actually having material on hand.” Geden snorted at that and shrugged.

“The bikes you guys have are impressive, considering what you have to work with,” Link said.

“They work for what we need.” Link twisted to watch Ganondorf approach. He'd changed out of the armor but kept the jewelry, wearing the preferred loose sand colored garments crusted with embroidery Link saw on pretty much everyone else. He was barefoot, and Link was a little appalled to see even more jewelry on his toes.

“Seriously, man? How much gold does anyone need to wear?” Ganondorf snorted, and Geden laughed.

“That's not that much.” He laughed harder at Link's disbelieving gape.

“It's really not! You should see what most of the progenitors and archivists wear.” Link glanced around, but everyone was nodding, expressions amused but otherwise solemn. 

“It's not practical in the Wilds, is it?” Ganondorf admitted, crouching beside his brother and resting his arms on his shoulders.

“You wore them while _stealing from Zelda_ , but they're not practical in the Wilds?” Link scoffed, and Ganondorf shrugged, smirking.

“The aunts are briefing Nabooru and the elders,” he said after a moment, expression turning serious again. “We'll be here for a couple more days. I can get you one of our updated maps. Knights don't have much on the Wilds, right?” Link paused.

“How do you know I'm a Knight?”

“Armor's not standard issue but the rest of your kit is. Besides. I can hear same as you. The mercs were looking for a Knight.” Rising, Ganondorf nodded to the guard post.

“Geden, show him how to link his bike in, update his maps, and head down to the armory. I need you to work with Shiina on inventory before we take anything.” He looked back at Link.

“Nabooru wants to talk to you.”

 

Once more Ganondorf left him with one of his siblings, but this time Link got the impression this was business related.

“Communication with the city is down. It corroborates your story about the grid, but it does leave me unable to verify your relationship with my cousin,” Nabooru said. She was seated on a low, worn stone bench carved with wilting flowers. They were in a little circular room down from the main bunker door, but not as far in as the living wing. More tapestries lined the walls – Link couldn't say what they depicted exactly, but it looked like what old pictures of the world before the war did. Link had been directed to a low stool across from Nabooru; a table sat between them, a pot of tea and two cups on a tray placed at one end. Nabooru hooked her ankles together and leaned forward.

“Now the aunts tell me you and my brother have to deal with Kingsley before she causes another cataclysm. Ganondorf has agreed. He's going, end of story. I need to know he's not going out with a leech on him.” Link stiffened, but didn't respond at once. Ganondorf had said this was his sister. It made sense she was protective of him, especially with what he'd been told about the Gerudo. They needed Ganondorf to survive. 

“My brother thinks he's right to trust you. The aunts tell me you probably won't fuck this up for us. How they can know, I don't know, but they back Ganondorf's decision.” Well, given that they had all but made the decision for him, not surprising.

“I don't want to be involved, but we are now. So understand me when I say, if something happens to my brother out there, your life in forfeit. I will personally hunt you down and tear you apart.” She leaned back on the bench.

“Are we clear?” Link let out a heavy sigh and nodded.

“Super unnecessary threat, but yeah, I understand. I'm not going to let anything happen to him if I can help it.” She eyed him, then nodded.

“Good. You're bunking with the rest of my band. Here.” She passed him a little box. When he flipped it open, he found a ring and an armband similar to what Ganondorf wore.  


“Are we getting married and no one told me?” She snorted.

“The ring is the same kind Ganondorf has. It'll get you into any part of the bunker that doesn't require a code. That's to show you're affiliated with our band. If you cross path with any of us in the Wilds, that will keep you out of trouble.”

“Wait, so you're just. Making me an honorary member?”

“You're sticking your neck out for us. Maybe you have your reasons, but that's fine. Ganondorf trusts you, at least some. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.” Link shrugged and slid the armband on, and then the ring.

“I want to see what you can do in a scrap before you go,” Nabooru said, getting up. Link followed suit, and they headed into the training facilities. Most of the wing, Geden had explained, was just for general education for the entire population. Any specialized training had to be passed on from person to person, or you had to teach yourself using the archival information on the subject. A third or so of the space, however, was dedicated to teaching self defense and hands on survival training. Large interactive panels were set up on stations in a loose cluster in one corner, and several tall closets sat a few feet away, facing a trio of raised rings, each with a low rope around its perimeter.

“You're a Knight.”

“For six years now.” Nabooru strode over to one of the closets and unlocked it; inside were rows of old but well cared for practice weapons. She took down a pair blunted, curved swords and stepped back.

“Choose what suits best.” There were classes going on in the rooms behind them, but the few people in this section were focused on their own studies. Link padded forward and looked over the offerings.

There were some very old wooden staves, wedged in the back; most of what was here were the same blades Nabooru had taken, smaller knives like what he'd seen Ganondorf wield back in the city, more familiar batons, and at least three heavy wooden straight edged swords. They looked like the swords Impa had taught him to use, when she'd first started teaching him a little over ten years ago. He didn't see anything like her preferred glaive, but he hadn't really expected to. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled down one of the straight swords. It was weighted as well as could be hoped for, and as well maintained as everything else.

Nabooru didn't comment on his decision when he returned to the ring and hopped up on the platform.

“So...?”

“Warm up first,” she laughed, following his example and laying the blunted swords beside her. They were catching a little attention now. Navi was on top of one of the closets, muttering,

“Didn't catch that, Nav.”

“Don't be a show off,” she said, and he laughed.

“Aww, Nav, don't be like that. I never show off.”

“Brat.” Nabooru chuckled at their exchange, rotating through a series of unarmed forms quickly before the Hylian nodded to signal he was ready. She gave him a short bow and scooped up her blades, sinking into a low stance. Link bowed back and turned out of her lazy slash, wishing he had his shield on hand. 

He'd never met anyone who'd fought a Gerudo. Oh, you heard about people being robbed in the Wilds occasionally (half of the don't pass the crossroads rule was because of it), but no one ever died. He knew they had to be able to defend themselves, but he'd seen the rifles the guards carried, and he remembered Ganondorf's brutally efficient attack on the mercs. This was unexpected.

Nabooru moved in circular movements, her body taking her one way while her attacks came in the reverse direction. It made judging where her strikes were aimed more difficult, and he couldn't rely on his shield to give him breathing room enough to learn the patterns the way he'd like. At least she was mostly staying on the ground, with a few sparse jumps and spins – fighting Impa was a nightmare of trying to close with her while she vaulted over and around you, giving you no chance to raise a proper defense.

He rolled under a scissoring swipe and slashed at the back of her legs; she jumped the blade and backed off to get her back away from him. Their audience was getting bigger; he spotted a few of the elders and several of Nabooru's band, just not Ganondorf.

“Maybe focus, Link,” Navi called from the closet. He arched out of the way of a punishing blow to the ribs and danced back, rolling his eyes at himself. Yes, now was definitely the time to be worried about where Ganondorf was. Nabooru smirked at him, and he stuck his tongue out in reply.

The next few strikes became less cautious as they gauged one another; Link's arms ached from a particularly hard clash where she'd locked his blade between hers in an attempt to disarm him. Wrenching out of that had been painful even without the kick to the stomach he'd gotten for the stunt.

She tagged him hard in the shoulder, winning the first round. He managed to pin her in the second, sword to her throat. The third was becoming a question of could he catch her before she wore him out, and he was pretty sure the answer was no. She kept spiraling out of reach, as aware as everyone else that her stamina was greater than his.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bulkier form join the slim ranks of Geden and his cousins, and hazarded a glance. Ganondorf met his eyes and arched one eyebrow, mocking. 

With a huff of annoyance, Link slung himself across the space between him and Nabooru, but instead of closing with her properly, he lunged to the side. She stumbled and stretched to guard against the perceived attack, and he tackled her, sending both swords cracking across the padded platform and resting his own sword against her ribs. She snorted at him.

“That was stupid.”

“It worked,” he said, rolling off her and flopping onto his back with a groan. She laughed and nudged him with one toe.

“You're not completely hopeless at least. You should spar with brother tomorrow.” Ganondorf snorted.

“If you haven't broken him just now, maybe.” Link cracked an eyelid and glowered. Ganondorf smirked.

“If you're done playing, Geden has some things to give you, and we have a visit to the armory before dinner.” Link let his eyes fall shut and groaned again, ignoring the ripple of laughter around him. A chime told him Navi had come to hover over him.

“What did I tell you?”

“Go away.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I lied about not getting into it. I needed a buffer zone between beginning The Quest and some of the other plot points I need to introduce, the first of which will be in the next interlude, so, like, stay tuned.
> 
> Couple notes: Not the most exciting fight scene, I know. I started it the first time without them stretching and stuff (don't be that guy, friends, always warm up), and then I was all, "Dude, you've only trained with staves and katanas, what are you even talking about." I don't know how to use a scimitar, let alone two. I'm winging it.
> 
> I...think that's all the relevant notes? Look, my mom's watching Jurassic Park rn, I'm distracted.


	7. Interlude: -redacted- NRD Authorization Required

One window, one door, an antique slab of a desk bisecting the space between two chairs. No shelves. No clutter. Nothing but the window, the door, the desk, and the two women facing off across this field of battle, words as weapons behind clenched teeth and a false smile. 

One window, one door, and one vent, with a single camera. Out of place and out of sight. It's monitor sat in the dark of grid access with the whir of its automated maintenance around them, and watched.

“Thank you for being so prompt in joining me, Impa.” The blonde woman stood with her back to the window, a tablet in one hand. Rare sunlight frames her from behind, a few chilly rays straining through the ever present cloud cover. It, like everything the woman presents, is artful. 

A single curl from one temple, a heavy knot of blonde hair at the base of the neck, anchored and caged with delicate braids. A long coat, severe and dark, hangs in one corner, but it is not her armor. That is the perfect fit of the pale dress, the immaculate dark leather of her boots, and the tasteful, singular pieces of gold at her throat and right wrist. Understatement for the sake of a longer game. _I dare you to overlook me. I dare you to underestimate me._

“What do you want.” Her opponent is taller, by only three inches, but they hold themselves the same. There is no _threat_ , but there is a constant reminder of one; she stands straight backed because she is a warrior, because the weight of armor and a weapon are her norm. She is dark skinned, like the Gerudo, the watcher notes, with paler patches of skin around her eyes. 

Her eyes. They are as crimson as theirs, a bloody bright shade that bores into the blonde's blue. The watcher brings the image closer, head cocked to one side. Could she be like them? It seemed it must be so. But there was much they didn't know. Better not to assume.

“The Board has agreed to my terms,” the blonde was saying, turning from her opponent to look out the window. “There's no reason for me to continue holding you and the others here. I plan to allow the city to return to its business, for a time.” Impa did not answer. The watcher turned their attention for a breath from the women to the systems laboring in the dark. Out of the corner of their eye, a pale cursor, and then a slow scroll of bright text.

 _Impa Vasa. Commander of the Castle Corporation security forces, Class 3 Knight._ Years of service, age, height, weight. Details, details they did not need but would know. And here-

_With the death of Impa's predecessor, she is the last registered member of the Sheikah tribe. (see reports on Trine's conflict with the Sheikah re: lab built on sacred land, conflict with the Gerudo (sister tribe).)_

The Sheikah. There is scant information in Castle Corp. archives, and only a little more in Trine's. The watcher looked, and wondered, trailing fingers under their own eyes. Questions, and no answers to be had, not here, not now.

“I've ordered everyone be allowed to return to their homes. I can't promise they'll be returning to work in the immediate, but they will be paid for the time lost.”

“Why am I here, Zelda?” Zelda cocked her head and turned back, laying the tablet on the desk and splaying her hand across the surface next to it.

“I want your cooperation.” The watcher leaned closer, though the camera itself did not move.

“With what.”

“I am only doing what my father failed to do, Impa.” Step away from the desk, step back, straighten her spine, look away. Feigned vulnerability, truth in grains. Is Impa affected? The watcher cannot tell, the watcher does not know, but they are learning. Strength in quiet, strength in understatement, never to diminish oneself for their enemies. 

_I dare you._

“Your father dedicated his life to Hyrule. While you were throwing your tantrums and making life miserable for the people of the outer city, he was making every effort to better our defenses, to uncover Trine's worst offenses and right those wrongs. Without his attention, the Warborn would still be considered something less than human, and without any of the rights inherent to perceived humanity. We would still have no defense against ghoul attacks throughout the city. Likely, we would have been consumed by the Wilds.” The delivery is impassive, cool, but there is a weight behind every word. Zelda turns back to Impa, curling her fingers around the desk's edge.

“I made a mistake.”

“You have made many.”

“I'm trying to do what's right. It's not easy, Impa, you know that. Please, you know _me_. I didn't get the chance to make amends with my father, but I can see his will executed properly. You know the City Council will ignore his requests, and the Board is weak, too weak to see the reforms put into place.” She straightened up again and swept a hand out to gesture at the window.

“The outer city should be condemned, its people brought back into the safety we've cultivated here. They should not be dismissed because they do not act as the Council wants.”

“And when they do not act as you would have them?” Now it was Zelda who did not answer. Impa did not press. So few words, but an impact besides. She met Zelda's gilt-shiny passion with cold stone, impassive and untouched by the flash. The watcher wondered at it. 

“I need Castle Corp. Maybe I can do this without you, but I need what the company represents if nothing else,” Zelda said. “I don't want to cut you out, Impa. You're well respected in the communities of the outer city. I know Link would prefer it if you worked with us.” Impa's shoulders tensed, and a muscle in her jaw jumped. The watcher frowned. She could have screamed and it would not have been clearer how those words hurt her. Another lesson. Pointed words, careful timing, vicious combinations. The implication of a betrayal without the actual manufacturing of one. The watcher did not know why Link was important, but they had heard the Alpha unit's commands.

_Bring back Link Masters alive._

“This is for the best,” Zelda murmured, stepping around the desk. Closing the distance between her and her prey, opponent no longer, defanged and declawed, or so she thought. Impa did not move, but she did not have to. The watcher could see the decision, could imagine its parameters.

“I need to speak with my people. This is for their sake,” Impa said, jaw tight. Zelda smiled, soft and sweet, without a touch of her venom or passion. A mask made malleable for her needs.

“Thank you, Impa. This means more than you know.” The door opened, and the Alpha unit strode in. He exchanged places with Impa, who filed out. The camera's angle could not follow her exit.

A beat of silence.

“Well?”

“Neither Masters nor the hacker have been found, but I have reason to believe they've headed into the cliffs. The Syndicate is rumored to be out there somewhere.”

“Use Trine's systems to find Link. If you're right, and they're together, he will lead us to them.” She frowned, and reached across the desk to pick up the tablet again.

“I need that drive back, Alpha.”

“Understood, ma'am.”

“Good. Go yourself, take half of Beta and all of Epsilon with you. I want an update on the status of Delta in twenty minutes. Make sure to keep eyes on Ruto, Darunia, and Impa when they head out. And find me Ingo Gorman. He should be in the Lon Lon district of the outer city. If you can't find him there, his brothers should be on the far edge of Termina district, near the Goron compound.”

“Noted.” Alpha departed, and Zelda circled back around the desk to stand at the window again, hands clasped behind her back. The camera angled itself, and caught her profile; the watcher looked away. They knew her features as well as one knew oneself. 

Deep in the bowels of grid maintenance, the watcher got to their feet and approached the locked door.

“Enable audio, replace visual feed on monitor three.” They wished for Alpha's vocal distortion, though no one could hear them. The camera's feed flickered back to life beside the door.

Zelda had brought the tablet up into visual range. Lists and security feeds, reports peppered with diagrams and graphs, tables upon tables of data. After a moment she tilted her head to one side, and swept it all away.

“Access Trine archival directory. Locate Triforce program data. Specify, requirements. Specify, hardware.” The watcher's breath caught as the bottom left triangle of the Trine logo lit, and a warm voice, low and tranquil, replied.

“I cannot unlock the FSD/DFD portions of this information, Operative Kingsley.”

“I am aware,” Zelda snapped. “Give me what you can access.”

“Of course, Operative.” A soft hum.

“Notice: another NRD registered operative accessing file. Locate?” The watcher hissed and scrabbled to disconnect, flinching as the overlay flickered out and the feed went black. The audio continued to play.

“Someone else – it's not Link, is it?” A breath. “No, of course not, he's been registered as one of Farore's operatives, hasn't he. What about the hacker?”

“Query?”

“Bring up everything in the system regarding Ganondorf of the Gerudo Syndicate.” The watcher reviewed their location, debated restoring their connection. They had underestimated the Great FAIRY's ability to monitor beyond the archives.

“Operative Ganondorf, operative level 3, DFD.”

“Can you tell me why he was cleared?”

“I am afraid not, Operative Kingsley.”

“Fine. Fine. Just give me what you can, and compile initial grid development files for me.”

“Of course, Operative Kingsley. Logging you out.” The watcher waited. Waited. Breathe in. Breathe out. 

“Who...” A soft sigh.

“Dammit.” The scrape of a chair and someone settling in it. Then, a harsh rake of feedback, and a low buzz.

 _Connection lost_. The watcher exhaled and slumped against the wall, curling bandaged fingers into fists. With a shudder, they let their head fall against the wall with a thump, a hand coming up to rake through the loose bandages covering their eyes. Ragged nails caught on soft hair, blonde locks cutting across their vision.

A glance at their finger tips showed the skin was no longer translucent, and the nails felt a little stronger than before. A scan told them their internal systems – no, organs – were all functioning, and at optimum efficiency. Turning back to the door, they pressed their palm to the scanner.

“Welcome, Proxy Engineer.” A pause.

“Alert – system recognition failed, verification required; identify.” The drag of old systems coming online felt like static across the surface of their skin. The screen beside the door flashed and the profile came up. Willing the unnecessary tremor in their fingers away, they got to work.

It didn't take long – as proxy, there was no need for much of the information other operatives required, especially as Trine was technically defunct. A soft ping.

“Welcome, Sir Proxy Engineer Sheik. Proceed to decontamination.” A shaky exhale of relief.

“Erase the logs of my activity from this week, backup and forward any searches performed by NRD Operative Kingsley.” They – he – stepped back as the door unlocked, a little coil of satisfaction unfurling in his chest.

“Acknowledged. Safe travels, Sir Proxy Engineer.” A goal. Now, a name, an identity. Not hers. He wasn't her. He didn't know where the others were, not yet.

His work was begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. This is 1. late, 2. not very good, and 3. way short. I'm not satisfied, but I've hit a rut (not...technically in the story, but I had a really hard time getting into the zone to write, so.). I'm working my way out of it, and updates are coming, have no fear.


	8. Chapter 6

The sun wasn't up yet, but Link had been awake ever since the corridors within the cliffs had started screaming. Storms crossing the Fields were smashing into the stone and howling into the labyrinth, never reaching the Gerudo compound but making a hell of a noise anyway. People had been up priming backup generators and putting secondary security systems on standby for hours, bringing in everyone's bikes and covering the little family plots on the terraces. Link had been dragged into the transport bay, set back away from the actual bunker and connected by a blasted out tunnel. Geden directed him to Epona and Ganondorf's Strife.

“Normally Ganondorf would want to do this himself, but he's down with the aunts getting looked over before he goes. Just go over the systems with Navi, check that your gear is set. I'll send someone to help you.” So Link did as directed, going over Epona first and packing up the gear they'd collected in the last couple of days. His shield, a heavy long sword, and his armor was back in the band's bunk. All of their general supplies – camping gear, medical supplies, fuel reserves, and rations – were packed up on both bikes. His original kit was in the compartment under Epona's seat, and all in all, they seemed set to be out in the Wilds or the desert for weeks.

The aunts had done some digging, and found references to a desert lab they'd been aware of but never bothered exploring before. It was apparently a “Cooperative synthesizing center”, headed by none other than the Madame Engineer Din once upon a time, and among the oldest locations Trine had established. Link didn't know what any of that meant, but apparently there was reason to believe there was information on the mysterious Founder proxies to be found within.

“Most Trine systems and information within are localized,” Koume had explained. “The FAIRY systems were created to safeguard the archival sites and cross reference information between projects, besides the prototypes that each founder had. The information on the Triforce program is most certainly scattered between sites, and certain research cells were isolated from the company proper besides, their locations and members known only to the founders. This might be a wild Cucco chase. Might be better to just deal with the little missy permanently.” Link had been appalled and yet not in the least bit surprised to see Ganondorf consider that seriously, but ultimately the other man had rejected the idea as disproportionate retribution. So now, they were on the hunt for something, not knowing what that something was, in the hopes of stopping Zelda's plan, not knowing exactly what _that_ was.

“Link?” He waved without looking up, fiddling with one of the little nodes that assisted with hovering. It was basically useless out of the city, since it relied on the grid to work indefinitely, but it was good for short bursts over unstable ground or outright holes.

When Navi indicated it was calibrated to his standards, he sat back on his heels and looked up at the newcomer.

She blinked down at him, frowned, and jerked her head toward the door.

“I'll go over Father's bike and then we're due to have breakfast with the rest of the band.” He stared at her. She didn't look a lot like Ganondorf, but he guessed he could see some resemblance – facial structure, mostly, height. When she got closer, he noticed she had a ring of green around her pupil.

“Shiina, right?” She paused, shooting him a questioning look, before nodding and turning back to Strife. He stifled a laugh at her obvious suspicion and did his final tweaks, double checking that the map was updated and synced with the one Strife had, manually entering some of his own entries from his original map, and adjusting weight distribution in her true storage before popping to his feet and stretching with a loud groan. He missed the slight glare Shiina sent his way, instead leaning back against Epona and cracking his knuckles.

“Ready Nav?”

“Always,” she chirped, popping into his vision with a little puff of sparkles. Letting his head loll on his neck, Link glanced over at Shiina.

“Can I ask you something?”

“I would assume it's within your capabilities, since you just did.” He snorted.

“Don't be a smartass, you're what, twelve?” She got to her feet, jaw tight.

“I'm thirteen,” she managed finally, aiming for tart and only managing bitter. Link shrugged.

“Uh-huh. As I was _saying_.” He waved a hand at Strife.

“What's with the name?” She blinked and looked over her shoulder as the menacing bike.

“It's traditional to name our vehicles something we strive to overcome as a people. In naming his bike Strife, Father communicates his desire for peace.” Link hummed, head cocked.

“That's...kind of nice, actually.”

“It's elegant,” Navi agreed. Shiina ducked her head.

“It is what it is,” she mumbled, brushing past them. Link followed with a final pat to Epona's handlebars.

Breakfasts were little affairs within individual bands or family units, as a rule. People wandered in and out of the various suites in the living area, visiting before the day's work began. Today, most of the people were collapsed together grumbling about the extra early wake up call, nibbling on food and not really conversing so much as lazing for a bit before they had to get up again. Nabooru and Ganondorf's band was no different, though Link saw the band leader with Gurenish and Kotake. Ganondorf, on the other hand, had a small child in his lap and a pair of unfamiliar women with him, one heavily pregnant. The little girl zeroed in on Shiina and all but flung herself off Ganondorf's lap, almost tripping over her own feet as she slung her body into Shiina's legs. Shiina steadied her with a sigh and narrowed her eyes at Link. 

“What is it Fala?” She dropped to a crouch, and Link stepped around them to slump down next to Ganondorf. The pregnant woman was smiling at him, while the second watched the two girls out of the corner of her eye, hands busy at some sort of needlepoint.

“Everything looks good.”

“Good,” Ganondorf sighed. “We leave after everyone's eaten.” He nodded to Fala and Shiina.

“My daughters. Amira is their mother.” Amira inclined her head. The pregnant woman leaned forward and offered her hand.

“I am Nanine.”

“Hi,” Link caught her hand between his and smiled.

“How are you feeling?” She chuckled.

“Ready for the fool child to be born. With any luck, it will be an easy delivery.”

“Do you have problems with this usually, or...?”

“Not really,” Amira said. “It varies from person to person, but as a rule, we are blessed with a lack of birth complications. We are not without specialists here if anything were to happen, though they are few and far between.”

“They never leave the bunker though,” Link said, and she nodded.

“We have field medics in every band,” Ganondorf said, “usually two, a specialist and someone who knows enough basics to keep everyone patched up besides.” He eyed Link.  
“We should be able to keep each other in working order,” Link said, stretching out. “Knights have to know the basics too.”

“You will be careful though.” He looked up at Amira and Nanine sharing a look, before both turned back to them. Ganondorf shook his head.

“We are always careful in the field. This objective is different, but that will not change. I plan on coming back.” Amira made a face, and opened her mouth as if to say something, then frowned and looked away.

“Papa!” They were interrupted by Fala climbing back into Ganondorf's lap. Shiina sat at her mother's feet, curling lanky arms around her knees.

“Can I have a FAIRY?” Link looked up at Navi, whose holoform was turning a rosy pink of embarrassment. Ganondorf snorted.

“Where exactly do you plan to get one, Fala?” Her brow furrowed, and she bounced a little as she thought. Ganondorf steadied her when she threw up her hands, reaching toward Link.

“Where did you get Navi!” Biting his lip to keep from laughing, he glanced at Ganondorf, who shrugged and nodded.

“She was a gift from a friend of mine named Saria.”

“Could she make me one?”

“What would you do with a FAIRY, little one?” She twisted to blink at her mother.

“She'd be a friend, Mama!” Amira sighed and smiled.

“You have friends here, little one. Maybe when you're older, we'll discuss this again.” Fala huffed and settled down, wedging herself between Nanine and Ganondorf to rest her head on Nanine's stomach.

“Okay Mama. Me and my sister will wait.” Nanine snorted and wound a few of Fala's bead studded braids through her fingers.

“Wise child.” Fala giggled. 

“Is she? I've yet to meet a child of Ganondorf I can call wise. Clever certainly, but fools, all of you.” Shiina made a show of objecting to Gurenish's teasing, but she grinned when he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Nabooru settled on Amira's other side, reaching across her to lay a hand on Nanine's stomach.

“Wisdom isn't a trait most of our family has in spades, true.”

“We make up for it by being beautiful!” Geden yelled into the room as he passed, dodging a swat from the woman he was with. Ganondorf rolled his eyes and leaned back on the low couch. Food was being brought in by a few of the other cousins in their band. Geden popped back in almost as soon as everyone began eating.

Link almost didn't notice it, with his eye on Navi entertaining Fala with a projection of the night sky that Shiina studied over her shoulder. One moment he was chatting with Gurenish about his plans for the lesson today – they were beginning the study of the founding of Hyrule City, as best they understood it – and then he was turning to ask Ganondorf something, only to find him gone. After a glance to make sure no one would miss him, he snagged a little clay cup full of olives and padded out to look for him.

 

It wasn't a surprise the Hylian came after him. Ganondorf got the impression he was a nosy bastard at the best of times. He was surprised that he managed to get in.

“Wow. What's this?” Ganondorf shifted the smoking censer into the center of the sandy pit he knelt in front of and turned, raising an eyebrow as Link edged around the carved screens and gaped up at the enormous tapestry unfurled in front of him.

“Wow,” he repeated, inching forward to crouch next to him.

“It's a history of our people before we arrived here.”

“Uh. I figured you guys had this written down? In the archives.”

“Yes. But this was our original history, as we chose to preserve it initially. Here,” he traced the point where the colors brightened and the thread turned synthetic, “is where our journey here is detailed.” Link leaned against his back, squinting.

“What's that?” Ganondorf snagged his wrist when he reached for it, ignoring his tiny squawk.

“Our written tongue.”

“It's pretty.” He released his wrist, and winced when the other man leaned his elbows into his shoulders.

“So, it's a narrative?”

“Not exactly.” Shrugging him off and pulling him down, he drew a finger under the nearest scroll of text.

“They're meditative aids. I don't know if they existed before we began roaming or came to be during that period, but before leaving, bands take time to study any one of them.”

“So what are we meditating on?” Ganondorf eyed him from the side, and hummed.

“This.” Link scooted forward, leaning on his elbows. His eyes darted over the burnt gold lettering, flicking up and down to follow the curves as they aborted in sharp hooks and flat swipes.

“Essentially, no risk, no reward.”

“Essentially?”

“The exact phrasing is more literally instructions for a sword form.” Link sat back.

“Should I go?” Ganondorf shrugged.

“If you want to stay, we can do a guided meditation together.” He felt the other man settle, and leaned forward to feed another mound of loose packed incense into the burner before getting up to select one of the recorded guides.

The voice was unfamiliar, but this was one of the older guides – it was probably done by someone who had died a few years ago now. In any other circumstance, Ganondorf would have focused on the words, maybe considered the voice and its history, but today his mind went to his family and stayed.

Nabooru and Gurenish had said their goodbyes the night before. The aunts never gave any sort of farewell; the time they spent going over his cybernetics before he left was their farewell. His hands throbbed at the thought. They'd tweaked some of the systems, and assured him summoning the energy blasts would be less costly now, but it was best to use them for close encounters – stun and run. The modifications that augmented his natural healing, hearing, smell, and sight had been fine tuned as well. He was in better condition than he had been when they'd first left almost six months ago.

He'd explained to the girls that morning what he could; Shiina was at that age where she questioned everything, and Fala was just coming to trust that when an adult said 'I can't tell you everything', there was a reason behind it. Amira would fill in the blanks to the best of her ability. Shiina would probably try to hack into the aunts' server to her detriment. Gurenish would have his attention split between his teaching and keeping his great niece out of trouble. All of the bands were staying behind at the aunts' suggestion. After two weeks, they'd start heading out again. By then, he hoped, they'd be in the Wilds as well.

It wasn't that he didn't like being in the desert. The desert was the crucible the bands ran before they ever went into the Wilds for regular circuits. The structures nearest the bunker, still within the radius of the security nodes, had served as a playground for young Gerudo brash enough to dare their seemingly crumbling depths (all of them reinforced long before they were born, and left open for the curious). The desert had been home before they'd begun their bands. A second home, but a home nonetheless. Yet the place they sought to enter was so deep in the sands as to be alien, long since abandoned by everyone, even Trine.

There was no guarantee they would find anything. He and Nabooru had argued over his involvement for the last two days, and then over the decision to dig for only the ancestors knew what, instead of just helping the Knight wrest control from Kingsley by force. There were more than enough fighters among their motley Syndicate – they were still _thieves_ , perfectly willing to tangle with Knight patrols to grab something a little better than scrap on salvage runs. With their ability to bring down the most deadly Trine security systems, it wasn't that big of a leap to take on Castle Corps.' less refined hodgepodge, especially with the people on the inside on their side. But Ganondorf had insisted, and now he wondered why.

No risk, no reward. What reward? In the context of the original text, it was a question of closing with an opponent without care for one's safety, removing them from play as quickly as possible, bringing them down before they could carve into your lowered defenses. In this, though, he exposed his people to Kingsley's wrath, and possibly Hyrule City's Knights. Maybe _this_ one wasn't so bad, but ancestors help him, he was one man. Nanine was one of several pregnant in the bunker; this was the highest concentration of pregnant progenitors in years, a population boom like nothing since they'd first settled into the bunker. 

Gurenish assured him they were ready for anything. Link didn't think there was any danger from Kingsley, but he didn't seem to understand this wasn't the first time the Syndicate had crossed paths with the scorned heir or her people. Link said he'd never seen the mercs who'd accompanied Kingsley before the takeover. Ganondorf found that difficult to believe, since they'd been crawling over every Trine site his band had searched for months now.

There was a gritty pop and a scraping sound. He exhaled and terminated the recording. Link looked...a little more settled than he'd ever seen him before, and popped to his feet with new energy.

“Ready then?” Ganondorf studied him and nodded.

They split to gear up before returning to the surface to their send off. Guards leaned on lantern poles, rifles against their hips. People swarmed the bunker strip, Nanine, Amira, the girls and Nabooru's band out front. Shiina broke away with Geden to roll Epona and Strife out. The aunts snapped and beckoned, tossing an embroidered drape of cloth over the Knight's armor and tucking it around him, scoffing as he sputtered before flipping the hood over his head. Ganondorf accepted a similar drape, pausing to press his forehead to Nabooru's.

“Be ready.”

“For?”

“Anything.” Her lips pursed, but she nodded and kissed both his cheeks. Nanine and Amira stepped up next, repeating the gesture. The rest of the band swept around them, patting them on the back or squeezing a shoulder before melting back into the bunker crowd. Ganondorf dragged the bone colored helm over his face, huffing a sigh as the interface lit in deep amber.

“You hearing me, Ganondorf?” The Knight's voice was soft and pitched low. Ganondorf felt a skitter of discomfort go down his spine and rolled his shoulders.  
“Loud and clear. I'll take point.”

“Got it.” The map flicked up and flared, a deep voice reading the loaded coordinates aloud. Ganondorf flexed his fingers and kicked Strife forward. He wanted to be in the outpost before nightfall.

 

Link wasn't one to talk on patrol if it wasn't to Navi or Linebeck (who skipped out so often he sort of wondered how the man was justifying being paid a wage at all). This wasn't a patrol per se, but Ganondorf wasn't chatty either. It was a wearying ride, far longer than their crossing to the bunker from the city, and Link couldn't just let Epona follow after Ganondorf and Strife. Though the Gerudo knew where he was going, Link had never been out here, and that hyper vigilance Impa had drilled into him was kicking up at every turn.  
He'd expected this place to be empty. They'd passed a few half livable ruins. The scanner Telma had given him was juryrigged to Epona's side, and its readings linked into his visor and helm; as they rode, it pinged recognition of various security systems. He almost wanted to ask if these were considered Gerudo territory or not, but Ganondorf was no less hyper focused than he was, if on something else entirely. The further they went, the stranger the architecture became, and the worse off it all was. There was the kind of debris he'd expect from the Fields, bomb fragments and the like, but there were structures in the distance, more and more as they got closer.

“Link?” He blinked and glanced at Navi's image hovering out of the corner of his eye.

“There's something up ahead. Don't know what, but there's some sort of signature that feels familiar. Should I tell Ganondorf?” He swerved a low dip in Ganondorf's wake and nodded.

“Might be important, who knows.” Navi winked out, and Link leaned forward, bringing himself up beside Ganondorf, who had slowed. After a moment, the man looked over at him; Link ignored the way his stomach swooped at the chiseled planes of the bone colored helm and inclined his head.

“Navi has given me the point. I'd planned on us hitting the far outpost for the night, but if she's right, we can bunker down out here and get to the lab late morning tomorrow.”

“The aunts said everything in localized. There might be something out here worthwhile.” He couldn't shake the sense that there was, now that he thought on it. Ganondorf nodded.  
Navi provided a guide overlay to lead them forward; Ganondorf meandered from the path a couple of times, Link just behind, and eventually pulled to a complete stop in a circle of broken stone. Link's feet slipped in the fine sand when he slung himself off Epona, squinting through the sun at his dark clad companion. Ganondorf crouched in the sand, brushing sand aside.

“Here.” A pitted hatch of dark metal jutted out of the sand, the Trine logo half erased. Ganondorf hooked his fingers beneath its edge and yanked. A pale light swept around the hatch's edge, and Ganondorf leaned back as it coughed out sand before sinking into the ground, revealing a ladder. Link scoffed.

“Well that's ominous.” Ganondorf flicked a glance at him and pushed to his feet, turning back to Strife and pulling a sleek pair of sheathed blades free of a compartment on its side.

“Head in and scout ahead. I'll secure the bikes, we'll meet at the bottom in fifteen minutes.” Link snagged his own sword and his kit.

“See you in fifteen then.” He threw a look at the ladder and frowned.

“Navi, keep up the frequency in case our comms go out.”

“Got it Link.” He toed the sand around the hatch and sighed.

“I've got a bad feeling about this.”

“Keep it to yourself Hylian and get down there,” Ganondorf snapped. Link huffed and slid down the hatch with a choice gesture over his shoulder.

He landed with a thump. The hatch wasn't that deep, dropping into a tiny room ringed with faint lights. 

“Air's stale, but breathable. Not reading any radiation down here. No life signatures.”

“Obviously.”

“Ha ha ha. Shut up, this is protocol.”

“It's a waste of breath. Get _going_ , Hylian.” Navi sparkled to life at his side.

“There's a few energy readings that spiked when Ganondorf opened the hatch, but it's all low level – background maintenance programs, probably.”

“How did you open it, by the way?” Link called up.

“There's a basic back door into most of these sites we discovered years ago. The ring Nabooru gave you can unlock them. Sometimes you'll get a prompt for a key, but the codes are almost always lying around.”

“Corporate types have shit memory, if Castle Corps' techies are to be believed,” Link muttered, shrugging his shield off his back and striding over to the door. It opened without fanfare into a dark hall.

“Ugh. They couldn't spring for emergency lights?”

“Do you _ever_ shut up?” Link snorted and strode forward. Navi's glow cast an eerie halo around him, lighting up deep gouges in the walls.  
“Well. Something went down in here.”

“The walls all scratched up?”

“Seen this before?”

“Every now and again, we find sites out here like that – clawed up walls, shutdown logs without much in the way of explanation, dead VIs.”

“Well shit. And it's only out here? Might have something to do with the main site we're headed to?”

“Possibly. Be careful. We usually find old security systems in these places.”

“Active even after shutdown? What the hell is wrong with this company,” Link hissed.

“Was wrong.”

“Seriously Ganondorf?”

“ _Was_ ,” he repeated in a low growl, before the comm crackled off. Navi buzzed.

“He's really sore about that.”

“I noticed,” Link muttered. The hall was a lot longer than he'd thought. Every now and then he nudged the wall.

“No doors. No anything.”

“Nothing else has powered on.”

“Where's the highest spike? Can you access any of the systems?”

“It doesn't look like it. Um. There's no FAIRY access points anywhere...”

“Those are built into Trine's systems?” Navi cut him a look.

“Obviously. The founders wouldn't want their personal assistants leaving back doors everywhere.”

“But if any FAIRY can access them-”

“Not any FAIRY. I have access because of your clearance.”

“Huh. So no FAIRY access. Think I can get in, or at least give you a way in?”

“Maybe. If we can find a terminal-”

“Say no more.” Navi sighed.

“I feel like I'm going to regret this.”

“Rude.” He jogged deeper into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, it's been three hundred years. Actually it's not that bad but I feel guilty. I had a bunch of health issues crop up, and that's really it. 
> 
> Uh, this was a bit of a scramble, but whatevs. Stuff should be picking up after this. Maybe. Probably. Look, I make no promises, I'm still weird and fragile. >.>


	9. Chapter 7

Ganondorf shrugged the heavy shelter's flap aside with one last glance at the bikes inside, activated the perimeter sensors, and headed for the hatch. The Hylian had gone quiet a few minutes earlier, but now and then Navi would give him a status report. The twin scimitars were a reassuring weight over each shoulder, as were the wrist sheathes carrying his knives. He bristled with weapons, for those who knew to look. He doubted the Hylian knew the full extent of his arsenal, but then, he suspected Link could stand to carry a few more himself.

He dropped into the dim space at the bottom of the ladder and squinted down the hall. He could see why Link had complained about the lights, but he could also make out where the lights should be; gouges laid equidistant along the floor, or a cracked metal setting. The walls were raked open on all sides, revealing the guts of the station, wires long dead and scythed apart.

The hall ended in a T formation; adjusting the tension ring around his wrist, he flicked a glance down both paths. There was a reinforced door at the end of the right branch, an active terminal at the end of the left, and three doors beside it. There was no sign of Link.

“Hylian? Navi?” The comm hummed, but there was no other sound.

“Link.” Still nothing. Flexing his fingers, he spun the tension ring taut again, and slid one scimitar from its sheath before inching, back to the wall, down toward the active terminal. There was a fast-draining remote power node wedged under it, but no other signs of recent disturbance. With another glance over his shoulder, he sidled up and flicked through the recently accessed files. It was mostly employee records, almost all containing the bare minimum of information. There were a couple dozen redundancies, a ghost server, and that stupid security block he'd broken through a thousand times before. It looked half cracked. Navi's work, he assumed.

“Link, Navi, come in.” He stepped up to the first door, toed the edge. It whispered open. A stripped office, and again the next, and the next. Stale air, abandoned furniture, dust. Heavy quiet, near silence; air filtration wasn't working – odd. His band usually ignored the first floor of these sites, if they weren't residential compounds. That door to the right had been promising, but the Hylian should have been in the T section – the door didn't look like it had been disturbed.

He activated a background diagnostic on his comm and circled the three rooms again. Equivalent desks, chairs, wall mounts where shelves had hung. There was a dark stain on the wall of the room nearest the cross section; the room furthest was almost untouched. A scan verified the stain as blood. Frowning, Ganondorf backed out into the hall and scanned one of the deep slashes. Trace amounts of organic material. He blinked and narrowed his eyes. His frown deepened, and he returned to the terminal, pulling up access logs.

The most recent had to be Navi. She'd even left a cheeky moniker – N. Gator. Where he expected to find nothing at all, or records nearly a hundred years old or older, he found instead a redacted log. Whoever had erased it hadn't bothered erasing the record altogether, just their name and accessed files.

They'd only been there a few days ago.

 

_Diagnostic complete. No problems found. Operating at optimal efficiency._ Ganondorf slid the scimitar back into its sheathe and trotted down the hall to the reinforced door, tensing his fingers to activate the conduit sat over his glove. It lit up gold in readiness, and his ring unraveled the weak encryption on the door lock a second later. It unfolded with a groan and a few sparks. The wall on the other side was ripped open to reveal the room beyond.

“Shit.” The concrete looked like it had been torn apart; metal lay in rent strips or peeled away from the floor and walls. He inched his way forward, slipping a short blade into his hand. Five steps in, a little dot popped up on his readout, followed by a line of text.

 

_Foreign comm interference, pinned down by quarantine measures. Working on bunkering down, but we've found signs of someone else here._ The text wavered and winked out for a breath before shining on.

_Need you to lift the quarantine on your end. Confirm._ Ganondorf squinted at the message. If they had activated a quarantine, it explained the door seeming untouched – doubled up security. He murmured confirmation and palmed the blade's hilt, weaving into the debris littered room beyond. He figured the hall it had been behind probably looped to it, leading to more offices on either side. This was the first level of research, with a central elevator leading down to the lab proper. Sparing a glance at the damage around him, he crouched in front of the elevator shaft. It was halfway down to the next floor, and a cursory scan of the control panel told him it was essentially still operative – if at lower levels than he'd like. Getting back to his feet with a grunt, he called the elevator and tried to contact Navi again. When he received no reply, he cut the connection altogether, scowling. The skin of the back of his neck was prickling – both maddening and anxiety inducing. 

The elevator arrived with a low screech that he felt in his teeth. Grimacing, he stepped forward as the slid open. The interior was no better off than the room he stood in, gashes in the metal walls and spots of what another scan confirmed was again blood. The inner panel was torn from the wall, attached solely by a handful of wires. After sliding the weapon back into its sheathe, he gingerly pulled the panel up, careful not to pry it free altogether. It was still functioning – par for the course with Trine tech, but still unsettling. He selected the only area he could – the first level of labs – and let the panel fall. The door slid closed with a grinding groan that had him questioning the integrity of the lift. His suspicion was far from alleviated when the elevator jerked to life and descended with a continuous grinding not dissimilar to rocks scraping against Strife's undercarriage. When the door opened after the elevator lurched to a teeth rattling halt, Ganondorf swept into the next room, throwing a scowl at the lift as he went. 

He was in some sort of lobby. A massive window looking down into the laboratory complex sat across from him, its pane cracked as if something had been thrown into it from below. No lights, emergency or otherwise, lit the void beyond. He considered his location. Quarantine protocol for the labs would have to be something that could be triggered on a floor to floor basis or from a central location – allowing the upper levels to evacuate and letting Trine bury any mistakes in the sand. A tight spin showed him the lobby led out in only one direction. He nudged the lone door out of the frame it leaned in, and stepped into another hallway. 

Lower ceilings, barely enough space to hold his arms straight out. If he hadn't seen the areas above, he would have been shocked. In comparison, there wasn't actually as much damage. The walls were scraped, not ripped open, barely torn into at all. There was no sign of the organic material from above. What remained here was thrown aside, but there was something about the arrangement of it all. Ganondorf slowed and glanced into one of the smaller labs – a researcher bank. Everything had been shoved into one corner, the tables arrayed in a lose enclosure, lined with terminal nodes. He pulled back, feeling his frown deepening.

Searching. This could have been Link – but it seemed frantic. Why would he put the time into shifting the rooms around, just to search for a way back beyond the quarantine?   
A ragged squawk startled him; he had just begun priming his blast when he realized what the sound was.

“Navi?”

“Fucking _shit_ , you bastard, why didn't you answer the thirty other times?” Link sounded strained, and tinny.

“Pack it in, Hylian. There was some sort of interference.”

“Yeah, I _know_ , we _told you_. But Navi got a workaround going, so what the hell?”

“I'm looking for the quarantine controls, calm down.”

“What? Why? Can you not come further in?” Ganondorf stopped.

“You asked me to find the controls.” No answers.

“Hylian? Link?” Not even a buzz or the crackling pop of a disconnect. He swore under his breath. The quarantine was probably garbling their connection. Wonderful. With a baleful look around him, Ganondorf ducked back into the hall and picked up his pace. The hall branched – rubble blocked the path just ahead, but he could make out one of the 'free lifts' – a sort of linear teleportation device, acting the same was an elevator without the wait. Couldn't get to it even if he wanted to, and something told him if it still functioned, the quarantine had it locked down.

To his right was more researcher banks – Research Wing B, the sign proclaimed. Left seemed to meander down. Stairs maybe, a ramp, something. He trotted forward, and hissed in pain as feedback jarred his comm.

“For fuck's sake, FAIRY!” The line crackled and whined in a rising frequency that made his head throb. Something rasped behind the static, and then it all stopped.

“Fuck.” For a moment he wished the comm wasn't a subdermal implant – sure, he _could_ probably claw it out of his head, but he'd tear up something important in the process, and just, no. His thought was right on one point, at least. He did seem to be going down, but he saw a tiny branch, almost more of an alcove, folded into the side of the new hall. A series of red and orange crosshatches decorated the jut of wall he could see – restricted. Maintenance, or-

Or the security access he needed.

Something slammed into the wall to his left. He whirled and backed up, charge crackling in his fist. The blanket of quiet didn't lift again. It was just him, the barely there whir of tech under his skin, the crackle of the charge, the pounding of his blood in his ears. Breathe: in, out, in, out. Slow, measured. Count. One. Two. Three.

Nothing. Wetting his lips, Ganondorf relaxed the muscles in his arm, siphoning the power out of the charge little by little. He took a step toward the restricted alcove, noted the single orange light gleaming out of the upper corner. 

“Orange to warn, red is dead, green isn't mean, no light isn't what it seems.” He couldn't contain his snort at the little mnemonic every Gerudo learned, even as he strode toward the alcove. It wound back into a large room, separated with transparent panes, each quadrant of the room devoted to a massive monitor and a bank of terminals besides. Two were black – no power at all. The third flashed and shimmered with a series of broken images; it's terminals were crushed and torn out of the bank, the damage from the floor above continued in the walls around it. He stepped in altogether and froze when something lit up around him.

“DOD operative recognized. Security authorization cleared. Welcome, Senior Engineer Ganondorf.” The monotone cracked a little on his name, but the orange lights all flicked to green, and the containment field winked out. He wavered, before taking another hesitant step inside, turning to look at the fourth screen. Trine's logo glowed out at him, the void at its center lit with a knot of gold and red. Beneath it, a scroll of text:

 

_Din Operation Division – Fabrication/Testing Facility 2. Spirit Hub 1._

 

“Senior Engineer, I have logs of the damage and a quarantine report ready for you.” He jerked his eyes away from the screen and rolled his shoulders, turning to put his back to the wall.

“Give me the quarantine report and a summary of the damages.” A beat of silence, and then a half formed hologram struggled to life in front of him, projected from the walls. Or at least, it would have been, if half of said walls had still been intact.

“Damage logs corrupt. Quarantine triggered seventy two hours and thirteen minutes ago. Unauthorized entity-” The playback cracked and broke up into a garble of code, squawks and beeps. Ganondorf sighed and stepped through the image toward the terminals nearby. Most had been half crushed – as if something heavy had been smashed into them repeatedly. One, hanging askew from the bank frame, flickered and hummed, almost inaudible beneath the hologram's frazzled crackling.

He wedged a knee beneath the terminal and pressed it back into the frame, leaning against it as he flicked fingers across the cracked screen. While the terminal was largely intact, the image was still fuzzy and flickered in and out every now and then. Still, he was able to find the quarantine controls, and almost crowed in victory when he realized, like all Trine protocols, it was a convoluted mess of a process to deactivate. Fighting the urge to wrench the terminal free and hurl it across the room, Ganondorf dropped his knee and settled for swearing a blue streak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Yeah. It's been An Eternity or so. The fic isn't dead, I'm not dead, Z's not dead, but this shit will be sporadic. Which, if you've ever had to follow me elsewhere...or...here...you'd know. I'm not great at updating consistently because of all sorts of things. But yeah. 
> 
> It's short, but the next couple of chapters might be, for the sake of maintaining Atmosphere. It's a thing. I swear. Things Will Happen Though. So if anyone's still out there, it's coming. Don't know when, but it is.
> 
> Fuck but it is so short. Prod Z for extras or something while I drag myself into a corner to keep writing. Or play Vindictus. More likely.


	10. Chapter 8

Once he'd composed himself, Ganondorf left the security point with a detailed list of what he'd need to do to drop the quarantine, and half a mind to abandon the Hylian and just go home. Normally he'd try to hack the automation systems and default older versions of whatever program he needed to adjust. Trine liked to shut down that sort of thing, usually at the cost of all performance in the sector. A weird loophole to leave for so paranoid a company, but one the Gerudo had been capitalizing on for years. This quarantine was strange though – highly complex, even for Trine, and bordering on a full kill switch solution. It made him uneasy, more than the damage to the space or the third unknown entity wandering the halls.

A little jolt of heat raked down his spine, and he amended to himself – _almost_ more than the third person. He licked his lips and took stock of the actions he had to take. There had been a few things he could access from the security point, but lifting the quarantine was less a matter of pushing a button and more one of stripping away layers of security measures, floor by floor. His original map had been misleading, implying a full three floors and nothing else. It appeared there was actually several more labs descending into the desert sands, all top secret of course. Ganondorf blew out an irritated breath and headed toward the descent.

The first quarantine check was just ahead – a small terminal winked at him from beside a swath of crackling containment fields crisscrossing the way down. He reached for the terminal and winced when it sparked and spit out a metal plate.

 _Please confirm biometrics._ He hesitated, then sighed and scooped the plate up, tugging a glove off to drag his thumb across the surface. Better to do a running hack than try to fake someone else's-

 

_Identity verified. Welcome, Senior Engineer Ganondorf. Lifting beta level quarantine measures._

 

“What...” He'd been willing to overlook it the first time – his people had worked with Trine, his name wasn't even that uncommon, but...  
The containment fields dropped with a crackling hiss and pops of bright red energy that left scorches on the walls. Ganondorf frowned and shot a look over his shoulder, debating returning to the security point to look for more information, when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

He whipped around and loosed a wild charge of energy; it fried through the immediate layer of the wall's ancient paint and left a glowing swath in the metal beneath. Nothing moved. He swallowed, wincing at the dryness in his throat, and shook himself. There wasn't anything there. No need to be jumping at shadows like a kid on his first Wilds run. He took a hesitant step down the ramp, dragging his hands down his sides (not that he had to worry about sweaty palms anymore – that kind of moisture build up played havoc with his implants). The smoldering wall glared at him, accusing. Rolling his shoulders, he sped up into a trot, following the ramp to its natural termination.

The next quarantine check would be in the next lab's central hub, according to the system. He just – couldn't see how to _get_ there. He could see it – the entire hub was surrounded on all sides by free cells, 'floating' rooms that housed more sensitive experiments in complete isolation from one another. The ramp ended on a landing with a trio of terminals and a defunct free lift – probably part of a system with the cells. He ran a diagnostic, just to be sure, and received garbled results. On one hand, it suggested he could restore power to this lift by diverting it from the main lift. On the other, he had no idea how badly that could destabilize the overarching systems still in place.

Ganondorf glared at the results, then at the free cells, and finally pulled a power node out of one pocket, snapping off the stopper and securing it under the first terminal. After a second, it flared to life.

 

_Run diagnostic, hold check, hold point, retrieve system logs, final week. Retrieve operations status, local, read: DOD fSH2-tSH2._

 

The commands scrolled across his helmet interface even as he entered them. He felt himself relax, a little. A stream of inputs and responses was something he could track, with a thousand errors he could solve as soon as acknowledge them. Sure the system was old – but so was everything in the Wilds and the desert alike. Data wasn't predictable but format was.

 

_Quarantine protocols re: f/tSH2 – access restricted. DOD operative codes acknowledged. Power insufficient to complete task. Grey hold._

 

The terminal dimmed. Ganondorf groaned. He didn't want to have to keep running back to the security hub – there had to be a center, a maintenance hold, where he could adjust power levels nearby. He pulled up the plans for the site and flicked to the maintenance layer. After a second, he located where he was, and then groaned again.

 _Vents._ It was always _vents_ with these places, inexplicably large vents perfectly sized for a grown man to wriggle through. For a second he wished he could just pass this off on the Hylian – _he_ was small enough to do it without much struggle. Ganondorf, on the other hand...

“I hate vents,” he informed the dimmed terminal. “Why the fuck are your vents so large, but ancestors forbid they be big enough for someone my size to get through?” The terminal didn't answer. He huffed and turned around in a tight circle, eyeing the walls on either side of him, and then glancing up at the ramp. He thought he remembered a vent opening further up.

There was one, about halfway down the first bend. He activated the cool nanocrystal armor over his hands and grabbed the grate. It groaned as he wrenched it free, sharp edges digging into the leather of his gloves but only laying a little pressure on his hands. He dropped it with a clang and deactivated the armor, wincing when it snagged on his gloves.  
He listened for a moment – environmental controls still hadn't flicked back on, there wasn't the telltale whir of fans or whoosh of recycled air. Heaving a sigh, he lowered himself into a crouch, and angled himself to duck inside. The thud of his boots rang like hollow thunder; he winced every time he bashed his shoulder on a wall and it echoed.  
The plans wavered in front of his eyes, and he frowned. After a second, they steadied again. He squinted. Maybe he was stressing something. No time for a deep diagnostic though. He took a moment to memorize his route and dropped the map view, letting the helmet adjust to the low light in the vents. A few turns, and he found an internal energy monitor. He flicked it, and it glowed. Environmental controls weren't off, they were completely axed. Power surges had been tracked a couple of days ago, around the same time the quarantine came up. Various points were in the red, power-wise, and he'd have to divert a lot to get the lift working. There was power available, at the cost of the quarantine. He couldn't quite help his grin.

Fuck the quarantine. He wound out toward where the plans had indicated a little maintenance terminal, and kicked the grate out. He dropped into the room, but beneath the clang of the grate and the thunk of his boots hitting the ground, he heard a series of thumps above him. Plastering himself to the wall and forcing himself to stay still, Ganondorf strained to hear.

Nothing.

Of _course_ there was nothing, why did he keep doing this-

 

_Thunk. Thunk. Screeeeeeeech._

 

Like nails on metal, a scrape/scrabble/thunk, right. Above him. His breath caught in his throat. There was no way a ghoul could have gotten into the site – there weren't any besides those burrowing spiny bastards that liked to rake people as they rode by, and those sure as hell couldn't have gotten in. No legs, no arms, nothing like opposable thumbs -

One second he's trying to figure out what the _fuck_ is making that noise, the next he feels something rake across the side of his helmet. Instinct kicks in; he flings himself into a roll and whips around to blast the space he'd just stood in. His eyes flew up to the vent he'd dropped from and that-

That was a _hand_. It was gone as soon as he saw it, but that was the edge of some sort of cloth strip vanishing into the vent. He stepped forward, about to loose another blast, and then his hand seized. He could _feel_ systems scrambling, something shorting out and sending a wave of numbness up his arm and through the left side of his chest. He gasped and sank to one knee, cradling his arm and curling toward the corner. Eyes front, eyes front, don't fucking look away from an – enemy? Predator? What the fuck was up there?

A loud crash sounded overhead, and a low moan, almost a howl. His helmet interface winked out, and the few lights dropped. He sat in the pitch black, struggling to moderate his breathing.

He could hear it breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -endless maniacal laughter-
> 
> Remember friends, unless you're Adam Jensen, stay out of the vents. Especially when you're in...well, whatever this AU is.
> 
> I'M NOT EVEN THE SLIGHTEST BIT REPENTANT FOR THAT ENDING. NOT AT ALL.
> 
> Edit (10.7.16): OKAY so the plan, once I get my crap together, is weekly/bi-weekly updates. I am WORKING ON IT, I SWEAR.
> 
> Z: So. I'm actually doing some real cowriting now. Super exciting. But yeah. Extras are a thing if y'all want them. Mostly snippets from our Trine chat. Maybe a couple things that didn't make the cut for the final versions of chapters. I'm also gonna start going through and betaing like I promised to do in the first place. Whoops. ALSO. I'm officially on PR, so comment and get a conversation maybe? Ask questions get hype? Also, fun fact: most of this chapter was written the day it was posted. Go us. And by us I mean Mirrored. I promise I'll try to keep them on track for the upcoming chapter(s).


	11. Chapter 9

“Link? I'm going to have to drop back for this.” Link looked up at where Navi hovered.

“No word from Ganondorf then?” He sighed when she flickered and didn't answer. “Okay. See you on the other side, Nav. I'll be here, doing...whatever.” He waved at the dark room they sat in. She flickered again, tossed him a grin, and winked out. A second later, one of the mutilated terminals nearby groaned to life, flashing blue. With its screen lit up, he could make out a little of the room, better than when it was just Navi and his helm's night vision, which got sketchy when he had to avoid looking in her direction.

There was one wall that was transparent – reinforced glass, Navi'd said. She's explained the structure they were in seemed to have limited short range teleportation to a set point, but they'd tripped it right before the quarantine locked them in. They were literally floating in the void, as far as Link was concerned. He could sort of make out the vague shadows of other pods nearby, but only sort of. When he activated night vision though...

It was an enormous shaft littered with the damn things, all suspended in midair like chrome bubbles. They spiraled up and down the walls, filling the space without touching, and then just stopped. He couldn't see that far down – a new floor maybe, or the bottom of the complex. Their bubble was closer to the top – not really close, but clos _er_. Navi had been trying to figure out how to get them out for the last half hour, if his reckoning was right.

When the view out the window proved to be as the last five times he looked, Link swung himself around to look around the inside of their bubble. It was like a miniature suite – three rooms, and a tiny antechamber that didn't really qualify, connecting to the teleporter. They were in the main room, which was dominated by a single table, two chairs, and the scariest spider of mechanical limbs hung overhead Link had ever seen. Medical lab, maybe – sterile enough, even with the dust and all. Navi said most of the systems seemed to have a false wipe, something that only _simulated_ the wipe when the quarantine came up, presumably to cover Trine if they wanted to properly recover the data at a later date. She'd said it wasn't surprising the Gerudo though the sites were clean slates – access to that particular protocol was restricted to FAIRY access. Unraveling it took time, even for a highly advanced AI, and she had to focus on getting them out before trying to satisfy their curiosity. So Link waited.

Well, wandered. After another five minutes he got antsy, had to get to his feet and wander around just to keep from going stir crazy. The other two rooms looked a little like the offices up top, but there was a sense of personalization here. He'd reckon they belonged to project heads or something – whoever was in this particular bubble last, obviously. He slumped into the chair and spun it to look out into the main room. The screen on the wall across from him was dark, and he didn't seen any way to activate it, provided there was even enough power for that. For a few seconds, he let the barely there hum and glow of the terminal Navi worked through lull him, when something crackled through the shaft.  
He snapped upright; when nothing else happened, he let his shoulders drop. What the hell?

“Hey Nav? I know you said you're on background, but do you know what just happened?” A pause, and the screen behind him erupted with light.

 

 _01101110 01101111 00101110 00100000 01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01101100 01101001 01101110 01101011 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01110010 01101111 01110101 01100111 01101000 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01110011 01111001 01110011 01110100 01100101 01101101 01110011 00101110 00100000 01110011 01101111 01110010 01110010 01111001 00101110_

 

Link sighed.

“It's fine Nav. I'll keep an eye out.” A chirrup played from overhead, and the screen dimmed. Kicking his feet against the chair's single leg, he twisted to glare around the door frame at the window. Dark – night on the Fields dark, blackout dark, _dark as hell_. No emergency lights, no – anything. Hell, the light from Navi's primary terminal was barely bright enough to illuminate the main room, and none of it reached the void outside. It gave him chills. They were just _floating_ out here.

“I hope we find something.” He turned back to the ridiculous desk – a sleek jut of curved metal spilling out of the wall below the screen – and rested his elbows on its surface, propping his chin on his fists.

“Anything. I mean, a way out, yeah, but if we don't find _something_...” Navi didn't reply, and there wasn't any sound besides the terminal's hum. The silence had him more jittery than being stationary ( _locked in like a rat in a cage – ha, lab rat_ ). He slitted his eyes, but didn't quite close them. There was a weird stripe of heat down the back of his neck, familiar like a faded tattoo, set into skin but so old. He shivered. He was _fine_. They'd get out, they'd find Ganondorf, they'd get whatever was down here they might need and they'd go. 

The bounce of his leg became a little faster; in the back of his mind he wondered if he should be worried about the integrity of the chair leg he was driving his heel into over and over again. Licking his lips, he refocused on the screen in front of him.

“Still nothing I can do?” The metronome steady _thunk thunk thunk_ of his heel hitting metal wasn't very soothing, and that heat on the back of his neck was spilling down his spine.

 

_01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01101100 01101100 01111001 00101110 00100000 01101100 01100101 01110100 00100000 01101101 01100101 00100000 01100111 01100101 01110100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101100 01101111 01100111 01100111 01100101 01100100 00100000 01101001 01101110 00101110 00100000 01110011 01100011 01110010 01100101 01100101 01101110 00100000 00001010 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101 00101100 00100000 01101100 01101111 01101111 01101011 00101110_

 

The screen lit up again, just a little brighter, and a holographic keyboard rose out of the desk.

“Thanks Nav.” A sequence of automated chirps, cheery as can be. He couldn't stifle his chuckle, before he looked up at the screen.

Trine's logo flashed up, followed by the usual clearance song and dance, and then Link was idly flicking through whatever he could. Internal office correspondence, memos of every stripe, junk mail. He amused himself with the banal complaints and plans for weekend drinking, skimmed what seemed like endless blocks of technical jargon, slowing every now and then to squint at particular project specifics. It sounded like whatever this place had been for, it had been pretty tight knit – every project linked up to one overarching one, Project Deepset. Catching his bottom lip between his teeth, Link began to dig with a little more direction. Deepset branched – Projects Cornerclaw, Deserter, Sleeper all looked like a cyborg wet dream, at a glance, and there was specific bits of tech with their own projects. Project Blackout made him blanch, when he finally pulled up enough layman's speech to grasp it. A biological EMP, for lack of a better explanation, capable of shorting out external and internal tech – to the point that whoever was fitted with it could shut down, say, life support systems _inside a target's body_. 

“Fuck.” Deepset was definitely meant to augment a living being – a person, probably. 

“Super soldiers. Because that always works out.” He grimaced, remembering Castle Corps. brief foray into just that. He hadn't been one of the people chosen for the first batch (he probably should thank Impa for that, in hindsight). Of course, of the first batch, he only knew of Linebeck remaining, and his abilities were glancing – a sort of internal metal detector, the ability to locate where in the world he was at any given time using the grid and ancient satellite technology, sharpened sight. The guy got ugly headaches to that day, and could be incapacitated when underground pretty easily.

He leaned back, but jostled the desk with one knee; something shifted onto the keyboard projection, and a new window erupted into the center of the screen, a red button flashing at the button.

 

_Resume playback._

 

Link blinked and sat up straight. The hell was this?

“Hey Nav, I didn't stumble on someone's private shit, right?”

 

 _00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101110 00100000 01101111 01100110 01100110 01101001 01100011 01101001 01100001 01101100 00100000 01100011 01101111 01101101 01110000 01100001 01101110 01111001 00100000 01110011 01100011 01110010 01101001 01110000 01110100_

 

“Okay then...” He licked his lips and flicked the resume button.

The footage was crisp, well lit – security? It showed the suite he was in, specifically the main room. Two people in lab gear circled the space, and it's lone table. The table, Link realized, was occupied.

“Audio?” He whispered. A beat of silence, and then a soft buzz.

“We're ready then?” The first person spoke, voice muffled by the heavy duty helmet they wore.

“We are. Subject is prepped, we've been given the go ahead. Final injections are set.”

“Let's hope this works, Adawo. I saw what happened last time.”

“This one came back. We should be grateful that much worked.” The two fell silent, taking up positions on either side of the table. The...subject? was wrapped in bandages, from head to toe, and didn't even seem alive, if not for the slight rise and fall of their chest.

“Beginning injections now. Stay calm, soldier. Don't fight it. It will hurt.” The arms wove and dipped forward with soft whirs, needles glinting at their ends, tubes sloshing with pale fluid. They sank into the person on the table, one after the other, with little shushes and hisses, liquid draining from syringes one by one. Link swallowed hard, winced, but didn't look away.

One of the scientists turned to another table, and returned with a scalpel. Their partner cut away bandages across the subject's chest, and the scalpel wielding scientist leaned forward. Bile rose in Link's throat, and his hand jerked. The footage sped forward. The subject was gone; the two scientists stood side by side, looking out into the shaft.

“They're performing exactly as expected, but we've had so many damn security breaches, we're going to lose funding any day now.”

“Why don't we just deploy them?”

“Haven't you heard? The tribals are raising a stink. Sheikah gave up the ghost.”

“Fuck.” The footage ended, and a new loop began.

 

Everything was a crisp and bright as ever, and there wasn't anything to hide the carnage ensuing. Link jerked back in horror as the bandaged and armored figure tore into the people around them, snapping necks and ripping out organs with all the passion of a spider devouring its kill. The audio had been knocked out, and Link had to be grateful – the visual was bad enough. More armored figures poured into the suite, firing on the first. They soaked up the damage as if it was nothing, but for every five it brought down, seven more spilled in, and eventually it was too much. The subject crumpled. Something crackled, and audio, fuzzy and broken, kicked back in.  
“...neutralized. Get a cleanup crew in here. We have a deadline to meet. Collect the body, send it back. We might need it still.” The footage ended.

 

A new video. Teams circling through, cleaning up the blood, the bodies, carefully handing the subject's corpse off.  
Trying to. The bag rippled, the motion so fast Link almost missed it, and then it ripped free, and the carnage began again. Red lights flashed, and horns blared, and then the footage ended again.

 

“Link?” He swallowed a shriek and shoved back from the desk, looking up.

“Navi?”

“I have some control of the cell's systems. It looks like the quarantine is going unstable – maybe Ganondorf is trying to reach us.” Link exhaled a shuddery breath.

“Yeah. Yeah, okay. So. Just sit tight?”

“I'm looking through the system. Did you see-”

“Yeah. Yes, shit.” He shivered.

“What was that?”

“I don't know...but...I found the logs. It looks like this is the second time the quarantine tripped.” Link looked back at the dark screen.

“So?”

“It – Link, they never got the body out. It's still in here. In the complex I mean. That first quarantine would have dropped if the entire complex was locked down and abandoned. This second one...there's someone else here, but they couldn't have gotten down here, not the way we came. They _dropped_ the first quarantine manually.” 

“But...that...” He swallowed. “That was only a little while back.”

“Right.” Dim lights flickered on in the office, making Link jump. Navi's face filled the screen.

“We need to go, Link.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Yep. -finger guns-
> 
> So like I said, weekly/biweekly, as I can manage. I know THIS is late, but come on, what were you expecting. It HAPPENED, okay. Alright, now. Actual notes and all. 1. Sister Location happened and I am Ninety Percent Sure it is the reason I got this shit out in, like, two days after scrapping the whole damn thing. That, and I was listening to TryHardNinja's Circus of the Dead (go do that) for like, the last half of this. 2. McHanzo is a thing. Not relevant but like, if I slip and shit gets colloquial in Link's speech...blame Malon (It's FUCKING MCCREE'S FAULT BUT OVERWATCH IS NOT A THING I AM DEALING WITH RN). Besides THAT...um. Right.
> 
> Binary translations-
> 
> 1\. no. not linked through all systems. sorry.  
> 2\. not really. let me get you logged in. screen here, look.  
> 3\. it is an official company script.
> 
> And THAT is all she (they) wrote. Yep.


	12. Interlude: It/They

Lines in the shadows. Lines of light, lines of darkness. And now, no more white noise over the words.  
They raised their head, cocked to one side. A whisper. They knew whispers, they knew them well. This – this was something else, something new.

“Seriously Ganondorf?” Had they been asleep? Was this really just a dream, a nightmare too long? A hand to the face-

Not flesh but cloth. A flash of red, a bloom of pain, eyes wide and unseeing. No. No, they are awake, _awake_.  
But now there are more words, and the words come from mouths not their own. They cannot be awake – but then these, these cannot be real.

“Hey, Navi. What's down this way?”

“Shouldn't we wait for Ganondorf?” Airy and bright and away – beyond the walls they breached first. Coming closer. Skin tugs on joints as they reach out, scrabble at the old monitor. The image is not clear, but they still see, a little. So small. A child? And something, something bright-

“Link!” The small one darts forward, and the bright one weaves after, but they _know_.

 _FAIRY_. Could it be? Finally, after so long in the dark, claws to dirt, sand in the eyes, lines of light and dark in the shadows-  
Their mouth opened, and a rasp sounded around them. Laughter. That's what this was, once.  
They needed the FAIRY.

 

Needling points of heat along the ribs, pressure at the knees, disks of cold under the fingers, little by little, the whisper of cloth over metal. Here, and here, and here – come curious one. Come closer. But no, they would not come for _them_. No, they needed the data. A little energy here, a spark and a burnt hand. Another strip of soft – a _bandage. Think the words, over and over, and do not lose yourself_. Think the words, and they are real. These – visitors. They are real. 

Easy to follow. The little one chattered, the bright one chimed, and they peeled away the weak bits of quarantine. Not meant to keep _them_ out, the Secret Keepers. The broken walls crackled their name – Link. No child of the Gerudo. One of the Threefold then. Good. A little closer, down here, and-

Too quickly, they reached, eager to catch and snag, and the little Secret Keeper startled, hastened from the deepest shadows and toward the free lift. Teeth caught on flayed lips in a snarl it could not voice. _No_.

Too late. The sleeping system knew them, and woke with a sigh. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_! Trapped, trapped in the shadows, away from what they were there for, and too close to the surface! They could not contain the garbled screech that raked their throat, and lashed out. To the metal around them, their claws were not strong, but they struck, and struck, and struck, and the hard/cold crumpled. Not so different from prey flesh. 

Into the closed above, away from the lines of light and dark, and pace. Out out out, there was the little sounds, the whispers. Hunt/catch/kill. No, not this. Lead/corner/kill. Not _yet_. Lure! Yes, lead to shadow, lead to point, around and around, and then-

A new sound? It turned. Soft but sure. Wary, step and step. A hunter in its domain?

“Link, Navi, come in.” What is this sound. No, focus. This, this one is no captor. It sees it, from above, beside, behind. Through the hard/cold cut apart by its claws. Here. Strong and tall, sure and steady, yes. A hunter, but not of the kin thieves. A hand to the head, and it cocked its own. _This_ , the whispers said. _Cut into the connection, lead to the point. Let the target do the work for you_. This, this. It slunk back into the dark, up into the closed above, and it did as the whispers told. New lines of light, _words_. 

 

 **Need you to lift the quarantine on your end. Confirm.**

 

The hunter spoke, soft, and released their weapon. Yes! It slipped back into the lower dark and followed behind.

 

Down and down, the barriers it could not see rolling back before the hunter. Not kin thief, but they did not fight the shadows? It did not understand. The hunter went, and saw its anger on the cold/hard, on the bright faces that were not faces, where the lines of light and shadow met. The eyes of the shadows, the things that denied it its goal. Teeth bared, catching and angled, it slunk after the hunter, who made the strange sounds now and again, as if they called to the air. Out, and forward – finally! Closer, closer, to the lights that denied, that stripped hide in smoking bands, and cooked it alive. A tremor through its body, and it sank its teeth into its mouth, shaking. Be _still_. 

It could not. It lurched, raged against the cold/hard holding it back, and below, a crackle like the lights that denied. It froze. _Danger_. A breath – in, out – and the hunter moved again, muttered and raged at the faces that were not, turned to and fro, and then settled. A glint at the hunter's forehead. It squinted through the gloom. Something pricked in the back of its mind. It inched through the dark, eased forward to lean through the torn cold/hard-

“What...” A little closer.

Too close, too fast. It pulled back and held as still as it could, the scent of burning acrid in its nostrils. For a moment, all that could be heard was the smoldering and the heavy breath of the hunter, and though they could not see it, it could see them.

A bone colored helm clutched in leather clad fingers, tall form lightly armored, blades across broad shoulders. Amber eyes, deep red hair, dark brown skin, a hooked nose and sharp cheekbones. Dull gold cradling the crystalline Rupee over his eyes – _his_. It – they – knew those features. Kin, kin _here_ , and alive. Their breath caught in their throat. He glanced at the metal around him, swallowed, and turned away. 

_Geren_. How? How could it be, after so long? Would he even remember them? _They_ didn't even remember themselves, but _Geren_. The words would not fit in their mouth, they could not call out. For a moment they could only sit, and shake. An ache bloomed in their chest – not the burn of rebuilding themselves, but something else, something old and almost forgotten. 

_Hope_.

The sound of someone moving near jolted them from their stupor, and they lurched in place. He was in the vents? Why-

The quarantine. He was dropping the quarantine. Did he know they were there? Scrabbling upright, they crawled forward. They needed to see him, to hear him, to be sure. A tang sat in the back of their mouth, sour and sharp. The whispers grew louder. Hunt/catch/kill, lead/corner/kill, hunt, hunt, _hunt_. It/they struggled, moving ever forward, following the hunter – no, _Geren_ – as close as they dared. They, they, they, not an animal, not a mindless beast-

The tang grew stronger, something hot flared across their back, and they crumpled forward. No, no! The Threefold's tech still worked? No, what if Geren-

Terror, for a brief blinding second. Geren. What if they hurt Geren? Trembling muscles spasmed, and they slammed their palms against the vent floor. _Damn_ the Threefold! They lurched, slung their weight forward, and found the open grate. 

_Geren_! Without their say, a hand flung out, caught on something hard. A little snarl built in their throat. 

Something charged below, a flash of a warning in the tech embedded in its skull – guard! Stop the strike before it falls! It hissed and heard the hunter below suck in a shaky breath. Fear stink wafted up to it. It slunk closer.

 _Geren_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I was going to hop back into Ganny's POV, but like, it didn't flow, right? So. Interlude. Yaaaay. -jazz hands- I know my formatting gets a little wonky in here compared to the other chapters, but it's half stylistic, half for emphasis of character. Yeah.


	13. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for self surgery - Ganondorf does cut into himself. It's not super graphic or anything, but it does happen.

Whatever it was, it was moving closer. Ganondorf could hear it overhead, only the faintest scrape of claws on metal giving it away. His implants weren't working, but he didn't need a diagnostic to know the fail safes on his left lung were, well, failing. He had enough oxygen to get that fixed, and not a damn bit more, let alone enough to keep whatever that thing was from killing him.

Not how he'd envisioned going out. That numbness that had started in his left shoulder was bleeding down the side of his chest, slowly but surely. The thing was inching closer overhead. He let his head fall back against the wall and took a deep breath. This was going to hurt, but he'd had worse. Hell, getting to this point had been worse. So much worse.

_Thud_. The landing was dull, but he was now hyper aware. Defunct tech, crippled implants, lung giving out in his chest, minutes to spare. He had to focus, fuck. He turned his head, slowly. One sword was wedged against the wall, the edge biting between his shoulder blades. When he shifted his shoulders just so, the pack he had set in the small of his back slipped free of its holster. He shifted, inch by inch, counting in his head. Those minutes were ticking, ticking, ticking by.

The pack slid free, and he twisted, ignoring the flare of pain on one side and the lack of feeling on the other, dragging the tiny bundle into his lap. His fingers slipped on the catch, but he wiggled it open, dumping its contents onto the floor. Adrenaline (one shot to the heart should keep him moving for just a little longer), biosink (or as his daughters called it, his emergency battery), and a tiny laser scalpel. He almost couldn't feel the power switch, but his nail caught on it, and he yanked it down. The angle was bad. He couldn't even afford a deep breath right now. He held the laser away from him and tugged open his jacket, pawed aside reinforced leather armor, and grabbed the biosink and adrenaline vial. That he stuck between his teeth; the biosink he rested on his knee, before turning the scalpel toward his chest.

The sensation of flesh parting almost didn't register. His mind detached. He could see it peeling back, like he'd ripped a seam in a coat to straighten his daughter's stitching (she never did have an eye for space like that – give her a room full of supplies and she was a logistical wizard, but repairs? Never). He flicked the scalpel off, nudged aside one panel of skin (damn it, he was going to have to double up on antibiotic injections in the coming month, he had no idea what was on his hands), and set the biosink into the muscle. It clamped in; _that_ he felt, like a punch riddled with nails. The vial in his mouth slipped, and his teeth snagged the edge of his lip. The metallic tang wasn't a reminder he needed of his danger. The countdown in his head started again. Two minutes in.

The adrenaline would give him a boost, but it couldn't replace the air leaking from his collapsing lung. He bit off the safety cap on the vial's needle and plunged it into the socket of the biosink. He felt the stutter of his heart like the sensation of a limb falling asleep. He was drifting faster than he'd thought. All his motions were automatic now. Logically, he knew he couldn't actually feel the nanites patching his lung, but breath came easier, and his vision stopped swimming, the patches of shadow on his periphery fading fast. The faintest tremor in his hands stilled, and he guided the scalpel to and fro once more before fishing out a sealant patch to plaster across his chest. 

A rough patch up, but it would hold, provided he didn't get into a worse scrape than this. The countdown in his head stuttered as his stabilized. 

Tech? Still offline. Body? Holding together, ragged around the edges. Thirty seconds to spare. Mouth bloody, vision a little spotty, he swept the detritus of his kit away and pushed upright, eyes on the ceiling. It – whatever it was – was still on the floor with him, or so he assumed, but it didn't seem to be moving. Dead? Maybe it was just old tech run amok after all. He could probably drag himself back up into the vents if need be. A glance around him showed nothing of note. The maintenance terminal – hell, he'd almost forgotten. For a second, he just listened. The breathing was gone. The sound of claws on metal, gone. It was just him.

“Fuck,” he rasped, and felt along the wall, legs still a little weak. He inched around the little space to the terminal and flicked it on, flinching as it flared to life.   
“Eyes on the goal, Ganondorf. Yeah, there might be something in here with you, but it hasn't killed you yet.” He palmed one of the small knives against his ribs and started diverting power.

 

_Progress: 3%_

 

Ganondorf adjusted his armor and coat, before pulling the helm back on. He pulled heavy gloves on over the gauntlets; it wasn't as if he could use his energy blasts right now. Now he turned to put his back to the wall, pulling up the progress bar on his helm's interface. With the number slowly rising before his eyes, he started looking for other places to divert power.

Lights. Lifts. Internal communications. He was reading energy spikes already, a lot centered in that central shaft he'd seen the free cells in. Besides that, he thought there were signs of someone messing around in the system, but this was just a maintenance terminal. It wasn't as if he could check.

Something rasped across from him, and he let the progress overlay fall.

“So. Ready to come out?” He could hear it shuffling its weight. Claws on metal, the shush of cloth being dragged behind. With the terminal on, his helm adjusted for low light conditions as opposed to no light, and he could sort of make out a form. His overlays kept flickering, and the picture was shoddy. It inched forward, breath coming is rasps and rattles.

“Ge...Ge...” Ganondorf stayed still. In the dim, the hunched form wobbled, then unfolded.

It might have been human once. It was tall, but with a hunch in its spine like it was always curled in on itself (moving through the vents?). Beyond that, Ganondorf couldn't make out much in detail. There were strange distortions in its silhouette that had nothing to do with his dodgy tech; one bicep was grossly over-sized, and several fingers seemed to be of differing thickness. Some of that he thought was from haphazard bandaging – some tight and well applied, others loose and ragged at the edges. Those hung off it as it inched closer in a hesitant shuffle.

“Ge...Ge... _Ge_...” That wasn't its breathing. Was it trying to...

“I don't understand,” Ganondorf breathed, and the thing drew to an abrupt halt, and shuddered.

“Ge...re...” Another shudder, but if it meant to speak up again, the hiss and rattle of systems flipping on cut it off, before maintenance lights bloomed around the base of the room they stood in. It flinched back and hissed, scrabbling toward the few shadows left.

“Wait!” Ganondorf struggled to yank his helmet off and reached out, only to recoil with a strangled oath as his earpiece crackled.

“Ganondorf!” He swallowed a yelp as the FAIRY's voice seemed to ricochet around the room.

“Oh, sorry, sorry! I'll drop our comm line – shoot-” The reverb stopped, and her voice returned from the terminal.

“You did something – I've got a lot more access now! Well, I can talk to you now. That's it.” Ganondorf shook his head and stepped forward, attention back on the creature. 

“Navi, give me a second.”

“What? What's wrong-” Ganondorf tried to coax the creature back out.

“Hey. Hey, it's okay. Navi, dim the lights in here?”

“I, uh. Sure?” The lights fell. Ganondorf could still see clearly enough, and maybe now it wouldn't be so unsettled. He licked his lips, and held his hand out.

“I'm not going to hurt you. I don't think you want to hurt me either, do you?” He held his breath when the creature shifted upright again, and, oh so slowly, reached out to him.  
He'd been right; bandages were wrapped and knotted all along its arms, the oldest stained a deep, ruddy shade, and the newest...

He didn't know what any of those stains could be. What little skin he could see though was covered in knotty stripes of scar tissue. It turned its knuckles knobby, swollen and grotesque. Nails were ragged, chewed, chipped and splintered alike. When the hand was laid in his, he could feel that some fingers sat at slightly wrong angles – snapped and left unset? He drew his thumb over a bit of flesh, and paused when he realized there was something under the skin, something too rigid even to be bone. 

“Ge...re...?” He looked up, and his heart stuttered. Amber eyes sat sunken and loose in bruised sockets, one a little skewed to the left and bulging just a bit. The other was half obscured by more bandages, but so close, he couldn't deny the familiarity of the eyes or the ashen brown skin.

“Ge...re...re... _Ger_...” It pulled away and reached for his face – or rather, for the gem on his forehead. He sucked in a slow breath as it pulled a trembling finger down its surface. Its eyes were still on the Rupee, but slowly its gaze fell to meet Ganondorf's.

His breath caught.

The hand fell.

“Ganondorf!” He recoiled, Link's voice cracking in his ear. The creature's eyes widened, went glossy – and then it was scrabbling back and up, clawed hands flailing. Ganondorf flinched back and swore, ducking the rake of claws and backing away. It darted up into the vents with grace its body seemed too broken to perform with, and thudded away overhead.

“Shit, shit, shit – Navi, can you get eyes on that thing?”

“On what?”

“Ganondorf-”

“Shut it, Hylian! The – thing, _person_ that was just with me?”

“Ganondorf, what are you talking about? You're alone down there!”

The thudding got quieter. Ganondorf counted his ragged breaths and drew a hand over the thin, stinging scratch down his jaw.

No, he wasn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry about our tardiness, guys. We're both emotionally drained, besides having our own shit going on, and since our country conveniently forgot the screaming after Brexit, among other things, we've elected our personal Antichrist. Yeah. So it's been shitty, but this is up, and it's still going, and y'all must be tired of this section by now. Sorry about that.


	14. Chapter 11

Link rubbed his ear and stared at the feed Navi linked him to.

“Ganondorf, there's nothing there, there's no one there. Dude, are you _bleeding_ – did you cut yourself open? What the hell is happening-”

“It was right there,” snapped the Gerudo, voice more gravel than silk with his frustration. “It reached out to me – it _spoke_.”

“Great. And what did it say? Don't go into the light?” He flinched at the audible snarl mixing with feedback in his ear.

“It didn't manage full words. I think it was trying to say a name.”

“What did it manage?” Navi asked.

“Ger. That was the most, Ger. It...it looked like it knew me.” Link huffed an exhale.

“We need to get out of here.”

“Yes,” Navi said. “I see what you were trying to do, Ganondorf. I can get power to the cell we're in, Link, and get a path for us. But...”

“What _now_?” Navi's holoform shimmered and flared with her irritation at Link's tone.

“I'm going to interface with the main systems, but it looks like we can't go back the way we came. There's some sort of protocol triggered by us being here, and it looks like we need an NRD operative to properly deactivate it. Since it's just you and Ganondorf...”

“What the hell was wrong with these people?” Link snapped. Ganondorf gave a rough, bitter chuckle.

“Been wondering that, have you? Navi, I'm going to get back to the main lift and meet Link there. We stick together after this Hylian. No more wandering off.” 

“Got it.”

“I'm going to be out of contact without a console while I'm doing this,” Navi warned, “so you'd better stick with each other. Powering the lift now. Link, the progress bar should be on your visor now.” Link confirmed as the bar popped off, and Navi's holoform winked out. Link pushed up out of the chair and trotted out to the little antechamber of the suite.

“Talk to me Ganondorf. How are you feeling?”

“...Excuse me?”

“Lightheaded, nauseous? Can you taste something metallic and sour at the back of your throat?”

“This isn't fucking gas, Hylian. It was _here_.”

“Yeah, sure, but-”

“It was here.” The comm cracked off and Link huffed.

“Shit, fine. Asshole.” He spun to face the lift and folded his arms, one foot tapping.

 

 _Link, Ganondorf, helms on. There's something in environmental controls, I don't know if it's toxic._

 

“Got it Navi,” Link said, tugging his helmet on.

“What is 'something'?” Ganondorf asked.

 

_Not sure. My readings are coming back garbled._

 

“We can check it out once the Hylian's topside,” Ganondorf said. Link sighed.

“That's a terrible idea.”

“Excuse me?”

“We should be dealing with our exit strategy, not worrying about whatever horrors are down here. No one can follow us – just let the desert have this place.” His comm crackled with a litany of liquid words made harsh by the Gerudo's anger. He flinched back, even as Navi's text sparkled up before him.

 

_He didn't mean it like that, Ganondorf. We do have a mission._

 

Ganondorf didn't answer. Link huffed another sigh and rolled his shoulders.

“Hey, Nav?” He waited for their private line to kick in.

“What, Link?”

“Can you give me his status? He was bleeding-”

“I don't have access to his vitals. I'm monitoring him, though. Ask him when you get out of there.” 

“Like he'll tell me...”

“Try to be sensitive. Obviously there's some history with Trine out here. Just...keep it in mind.”

“Yeah. Sure.” He worried his bottom lip between his teeth, listening as the lift hummed to life in front of him.

 

_Okay, go on Link. Ganondorf will meet you._

 

He stepped onto the lift pad and braced himself, but nothing seemed to happen.

“Uh, Nav-” A jolt, like a hook through his middle, a knot unraveling and twisting tighter in his gut all at once. His breath caught before he could yell, and then he was out.

“Son of a-”

“Don't speak ill of my mother, jackass.” A large hand jerked him forward and out; Link flailed and swore.

“I'm fine, fuck off!” Ganondorf let him go, and Link shook himself.

“Fuck. Fuck this place. Let's just get out of here.” Ganondorf didn't answer, already turned away.

“I downloaded the floor plan, but whatever is below us isn't included. It looks like we can't even go back up – earlier, did you notice anything in the shaft?”

“Electricity, yeah. Why?”

“There's a protocol that's supposed to kick in if intruders get in before a Trine team – a full system collapse. A literal collapse, of the upper levels. We're locked in.”

“We're locked-”

“There's probably a way out if we head down. That – whatever it was got in, and it wasn't from the same entrance we used. The main entrance would have been further down anyway.” He turned to face him.

“So. We need to head down. It looks like this lift is only linked to the cells, but we need to get to the bottom of the shaft.”

“Great. I'm assuming you have a plan?” Ganondorf eyed him, but didn't rise to the bait.

“Stick close.” He set off, and Link followed, rolling his eyes.

 

_I'm looking for more information, but there's blocks everywhere. We need an NRD operative's clearance to access everything, and it looks like most of the particulars of this site were under NRD purview._

 

“Of fucking course.”

“Where was the main entrance?”

 

_This place wasn't a standalone site – it was an isolated branch of a bigger complex. It looks like it was linked by a...rail? It must have been an underground train of some sort._

 

“So how do we get to it?”

 

_I'm sending a path based on the floor plans Ganondorf pulled up. Follow him, stay together. And Link? We're fine. Have to go down before we can head back up._

 

“Yeah – thanks, Navi...” Ganondorf threw him a look but didn't press.

“This way.” 

 

Ganondorf led them through a series of hallways. These, like the ones before, were torn into, but unlike the ones above, these had been utterly gutted. The walls were missing entire sections, the insides scooped clean of tech and insulation both. Tiny scraps of cloth, some ancient, hung from jagged sections of metal. Link picked a bloody thread out of the ruined wall.

“This is fresh.”

“It's from the creature.” Link blinked and glanced back at Ganondorf.

“Fine. But what is it?”

“It looked human...but...like it was almost a corpse. It _shouldn't_ be alive, this place has been abandoned.”

“But it accessed the system, didn't it? Are we sure there wasn't another Gerudo band out here?” Ganondorf leveled an incredulous look at him before shaking his head.

“Everyone was recalled, and we don't have anyone scheduled to come out here for months. That's a two band job, at least. No. Whoever this is, they...aren't...” Link watched him cock his head, voice trailing off.

“What?”

“It...doesn't seem likely. Don't worry about it. We should keep moving, I think there's a maintenance lift this way.” Link trailed after him, but his mind kept returning to the security footage.

_“It's still in here.” ___

__“Ganondorf. Hold up.” He slowed, and waited for the Gerudo to turn._ _

__“Earlier, in the free cell. I found some security footage. It's old, from the war probably.” When he didn't answer, Link continued._ _

__“It was logs of an...experiment? I looked at some of the details...”_ _

__“Get to the point.”_ _

__“What you met – it might have been the test subject.”_ _

__Ganondorf eyed him._ _

__“They would be hundreds of years old.”_ _

__“Gorons can live that long. Most Warborn live pretty long, especially ghouls. If what I read was accurate, it – they – absolutely could live that long, based on the modifications alone. They have the ability to scramble most tech, internal cloaking to duck security – they were saboteurs, I guess. Navi found the logs. They tried to put the subject down, the body was never removed from the site. If they survived...”_ _

__“Did you find a name?” Link shook his head. Ganondorf frowned and looked over his shoulder, down the hall._ _

__“...”_ _

__“Do you think that's what it, uh, they were trying to say?”_ _

__“No, it...I think they thought I was someone they knew. Just...eyes up and ahead. I don't think they're hostile, but...”_ _

__“Lock someone in a dark lab for a couple hundred years and who knows...”_ _

__“Exactly.” They shared a look. Link chewed his lip, ignoring the cutsey reminder Malon had programmed in years ago to tell him to stop._ _

__“Has this ever happened to you before?” He blurted, and winced when Ganondorf seemed to flinch back at the explosive burst of sound._ _

__“No, I've never been trapped in an underground lab with a possibly homicidal ancient super soldier test subject. Provincial, I know.” Link huffed a shaky laugh at the sarcastic drawl and shook himself._ _

__“Right. Right. Let's get going again.” Ganondorf set off, Link close behind._ _

__“So, it can disable tech. What do we have that it can't screw with?” Ganondorf shrugged, guessing Link was just musing aloud._ _

__“I mean. Cold hard steel is a thing. You have blades – wait. Wait wait wait. Did it disable something _in you earlier_? Shit, Ganondorf-!”_ _

__“I'm fine.” He paused, and sighed. “I'm able to keep going. Let's not worry about it, my patch up is holding.” He ignored Link's thin stream of expletives over his shoulder, slowing as he took in their position. Navi's suggested route should have led straight through here, but there was...a wall._ _

__“Wow. Would you look at that. Our straightforward route isn't straightforward,” Link muttered._ _

__“We just had a building collapsed on top of us, essentially, what were you expecting?”_ _

__“Narrative clarity?” Ganondorf snorted and pulled up the floor plans again._ _

__The plans flickered. His stomach dropped._ _

__“Link-”_ _

__A spark of numbness through his left, a whisper in his ear, the shush of cloth against metal, Link screaming in alarm and then pain. His muscles locked, his mind said move, and then something was dragging him backwards. Metal scraped and clawed at the leather over his armor, and his head connected with something solid. It rasped._ _

__“Fu – let me g-” He dropped. His back caught on something jagged, digging hard into his ribs when he twisted to get free. Something clamped down on his arms, and pressure bloomed behind his eyes. For a second he couldn't breathe, and then he was alone. No one else's breathing, just him and the labored sounds of a barely operational base around him. With a shaky breath, he took stock._ _

__

__Alone. Intact. In the dark._ _

__

__“Navi?” She'd said she'd be out of contact-_ _

__“Ganondorf! Where are you? I can't get eyes – is Link with you?”_ _

__“I don't – no. You said you'd be-” A slew of truly impressive expletives cut him off, and then._ _

__“It's out there with him, isn't it? So where are _you_?” Ganondorf shifted and winced when more metal caught on his armor._ _

__“It...stashed me somewhere.” _To eat_ , chirped an unhelpful voice just like the Hylian's. Great. He already had a situational imaginary version of the man in his head. He cleared his throat and brushed that thought aside._ _

__“It's been out of sight, the walls are torn open. Moving through the vents when it can't get through the walls. I'm probably in a...den, or something, somewhere it felt safe enough to leave me?”_ _

__“Are – are you sure it didn't just leave you to die? Give me a status update.”_ _

__“I'm fine, just a little sore, scratched up in places. It could have killed me if it wanted to. Don't – don't worry, I'll get on my feet, find Link.” The background hum of the FAIRY turned to a buzz, and she made a small, frustrated sound._ _

__“I can't get a patch through. I can't just _leave him alone down here_ , he's not ready yet-!”_ _

__“Hey, hey! FAIRY, calm down! Talk to me, Navi, what's wrong? Link's capable-”_ _

__“It's not that! I just – fuck, _fuck_.” He flinched when the connection cracked and whined with feedback._ _

__“Sorry, sorry,” Navi hissed. “Look. Just – figure out if you can get out. I can't monitor you but...I'm here. Don't...go silent on me.”_ _

__“Got it,” Ganondorf murmured, teeth catching on his lip as he rolled his shoulders and tried to crane his neck to look around. “I'm still here.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was going to be one whole chapter but I was having a really really hard time with it so I'm giving you the first half and I'll hopefully get them out of this place in the second. Also time is an illusion so schedules aren't real. (Sorrrrrrrrrry, I am trying).


	15. Chapter 12

Gritty dust coated the inside of his mouth, and something was digging into his jaw. Link huffed out a breath and immediately sank his teeth into his tongue to cut off a flurry of pained sounds as metal sank deeper into the flesh under his chin.

“ _Shit_.” He wrenched the helm off – or tried to, the top dragging away from his hair with a staticky hiss before catching at his ear. The bottom was half torn off and doing its damnedest to cut into his neck. Scrabbling at the rebreather, he pulled it all free and slung it to his side with a gasp. Fingers slipped along his neck – a little blood, the helm had pressed hard into his skin but somehow hadn't broken more than the topmost layer. Sucking in another dusty breath and only choking on it a little, Link activated his internal comm.

“Nav? Ganondorf? Talk to me.” He received a dull buzz in reply. First he tapped his temple; when he wasn't rewarded with a splitting flash of pain, he tried to activate a diagnostic, squinting through the darkness.

His heart stuttered when he didn't even hear the stupid cheery jingle signifying a lack of energy. Everything was offline.

“Shit. Shit. _Shit_.” He pushed himself upright and then up onto shaking knees. His side was making some very compelling arguments as to why he was a terrible person and should probably lie down and die, but other than that he felt – well, capable, but not fine. He flicked his side, huffed a ragged laugh, and looked around.

He'd been yanked into something – a vent, he thought, he couldn't stand up. A cursory shuffle told him he wasn't in any danger of falling, and there was an opening right next to him.

“So. I am.” _Alone in the dark alone in the dark_ alone _in the_ dark-

“Just fine.” He winced at his own rasp. On his knees, he dragged himself toward the opening to his right and peered in.

More darkness, and something rank, a smell he didn't want to think too hard on. He licked his lips, and gagged a little at the taste of the air. Old, old blood, and rotted flesh so old it was dust and in the air. He scooted forward, listening to the tinny groan around him. It was like crawling around the guts of a long dead beast, calcified but still reeking of its old life. Heartbeat loud in his ears, Link sucked in a deep breath through his nose and began to crawl forward.

He counted his paces. One two three, pause to breathe, four five, freeze at a creak, six seven eight nine, pain paralyzed him for a breath. His breathing was getting harsh, but he was counting the paces, the breaths, the heart beats racing in his chest. Any sound was better than the absence.

 

_Crunch._

 

Or. Not. 

Link squeezed his eyes shut as the sound of metal being wrench apart got louder beneath him. He could hear ragged breathing, a rattling rasp like pieces of sandpaper rubbed together. Sometimes the breath would catch, and something like a snarl would snag on the end of the sound. The sound of something being torn apart – metal and plastic, not flesh and bone, thank fuck – paused, and Link held his breath. 

Dragging, shuffling steps. The breathing was just under him. He sank his teeth into his lip, heedless of the skin breaking and copper suffusing his mouth.

The metal beneath him bowed up with a screech, and he flung himself forward with a strangled yell. The floor of the vent wrenched apart with a shower of sparks, and a bloodied hand hooked around one jagged edge. Link blanched and kicked out without thinking. The heel of his foot skidded across knuckles twisted with scar tissue, and crunched through brittle bone. Below him, the thing screamed. Link rolled onto his stomach, struggling with the sword strapped across his back until he could work it out of its sheath and lay flat against the vent floor. The hand disappeared, and Link threw himself after it.

Metal ripped at his unprotected skin, but he hit the ground mostly intact. Unfortunately for him, the thing wasn't too fazed by its injury either. 

A hand slashed across his vision, grasping fingers ended with things more like claws than nails. He arched out of the way and slashed forward. The sword connected, but it was like a butter knife across metal – he was pretty sure he'd left a bigger dent on the blade than on his target. It lurched back and hissed, straightening to its full height. Link's mouth went dry. It was easily seven feet tall, and he could see that for all that it looked like it was a desiccated corpse, it was all ropy muscle and not much else. Amber eyes rolled in bruised sockets, one obscured by bandages, but he knew a death glare when he saw one. 

It moved forward, just a little jerky wobble, but it sparked something in Link's brain.

 

_Inching, creeping, sneaking down. Gibdos whisper all 'round town. Catching naughty little ones, feed them to the morning sun._

 

He couldn't quite swallow his hysterical bark of laughter, and that seemed to startle it.

“Don't touch that, Link, or a Gibdo'll get ya,” he rasped through his hysteria. “Gonna drag ya to the graves.” Sure, Gibdos were supposed to be scaly skinned things with three mouths who worshiped the sun, but who _cared_.

His grip on the sword went slack, and he shook his head.

“You're not a ghoul.” It wavered, like it wasn't sure if it should attack or not. 

“Nope. Not a ghoul. _Probably_ not a fairy tale either. But a failed super soldier's not impossible, is it?” He took a small step back, and it bristled. In the ruddy light off the emergency strips hanging out of the walls, it looked hellish indeed – but it was just a person withered and twisted by time, not shadows and crushing pressure all around. Link huffed and adjusted his grip on the sword hilt.

“I don't want to fight you. I'd bet you don't even know I'm a person. You're seeing a target, right? But what about Ganondorf?” It twitched, and the motion had nothing to do with the spasming muscle Link could see in its upper arm. 

“Ganondorf. That means something to you, doesn't it?”

“Ge...Ge... _Ger_...” It lurched forward, then back, a twitchy pace in a wobbly circle. 

“I need to get back to him. He's my partner, like it or not.” Its head whipped up, and Link stiffened.

“Par...tner...”

“Yeah. I'm with him, he's with me, we're both trapped in this hellhole with you.”

“...Part...ner... _Geren_.” It – _he_ – gasped the name, eyes going wide.

“Not...Geren?” His head swung around, and Link froze under the wide eyed stare. His expression hardened, little by little, and Link went cold. His eyes glazed.

“Kin thief.” It wasn't even his voice now, just a weird modulated tone.

“Eliminate.” Well that was bad.

“Wait-!” It shot forward, shambling gait thrown off, a hunter on its prey. Link rolled out of the wall, more out of reflex than anything else, and bolted into the darkness. Behind him, he could hear the Gibdo breathing, but not its footsteps. He couldn't hear it moving at all.

He kept barreling forward blind, slamming into walls and occasionally stumbling over detritus or snagging on a hole in the wall. He was pretty sure he could get some functionality out of his visor again if he could just get somewhere safe, but where the fuck was _safe_ down here?

An ear busting wail rang through the halls, and something was playing over the intercom. Once or twice he thought he heard Navi through the mess of atonal wails and static, but he wasn't sure. He couldn't keep running. He could feel the wound on his side pulling open, making the area warm and slick with blood beneath his armor. Without the internal systems online, he couldn't do a damn thing about that without stopping and he couldn't just _stop_ -

“Link!” He almost slammed into the wall, whipping around.

“Navi?”

“Link, head right! You're almost to Ganondorf!” He shoved off the wall and bolted headfirst down the first turn right.

“Where the fuck are we? Navi?” He could see lights up ahead, but Navi didn't answer.

“Ganondorf?”

“Link!” He tripped over his own feet and barely shoved the broken door out of the way to get into the next room.

Brightly lit, humming with power, a massive console set into one wall – empty.

“Ganondorf? Navi!” He spun around, but this was definitely a dead end. Swearing, he turned again to face the door and almost bit through his tongue to stop his scream.

The Gibdo slunk forward, head cocked. Link took stock – wounded, with a useless shield and a nearly useless sword. If the sword didn't work, he doubted a stun baton would. It was strong enough to tear open metal walls, his armor wouldn't do much against that, let alone his skin and bones. Brute strength was out, it was faster than he was, and he was wounded. 

Outmatched, outmaneuvered. 

 

 _If your skills and gear don't cut it, look around you._ Use the environment.

 

The Gibdo lunged, and Link took the hit with a gasp of pain. They smashed into the console, and his hands scrabbled across its surface to lever himself up and kick into the Gibdo's face. Behind him, the screen erupted with light.

“Welcome, Operative Knight Lieutenant Masters. Releasing locks on frozen tech.” He jolted and slung himself to the side when the Gibdo screeched, lashing at him with its claws. Cold shot through him again, and he felt himself going stiff.

“What the _fuck_ -” The Gibdo moved as if to grab him, but around Link, panels in the walls hissed and snapped out, encircling him in shiny plates. The Gibdo roared; Link took the opportunity to crawl under the plates and weave through their maze until he found an opening.

It wasn't a new room, but there was a series of rifles hanging in the alcove. Link sucked in a breath and stifled a half panicked laugh to yank the nearest one down, priming it.  
Behind him, he heard the panels shattering. He ducked under the nearest one and pulled himself up into the next alcove before turning to face the room.

He braced himself before firing, but he was pretty sure it was only luck that let the shot connect. He'd _thought_ it was an energy rifle, but the Gibdo was doubled over what looked like a metal bolt. He heard it crunch as the Gibdo ripped it free, but if it was metal, why did he hear glass?

A second later, he saw the wound crackle with ice, even as the Gibdo crumpled with a scream. He didn't spare a glance at the rifle, hopping down to smash its butt into the Gibdo's head. It snapped upright to smash its shoulder into him, and he caught its middle with the rifle, firing again. It all but folded in half at the shot, the bolt punching through it and shatter in the center with an audible crunch. More ice spread up its body, and Link stumbled back with a hiss, taking aim one more time.

The final bolt missed, and the rifle hissed to alert him of its empty clip. Link swore, threw the rifle at it, and leaped into the nearest alcove, but it didn't follow. Instead, still shedding layers of frost, it dragged itself into the vents and disappeared.

For a moment Link forced himself to breath, counting each inhale and exhale, when his internal comm pinged. Loudly.

“Shit! For _fuck's sake_ , Navi!”

“Well, you're fine, clearly,” snapped Ganondorf, and Link felt his shoulders slump. A tremor was running through his body, and he almost couldn't hear the Gerudo through the ringing buzz in his ears.

“-ink? Link!”

“'m fine, Nav. You got a lock on me?” he mumbled, and heard Ganondorf snort. A tiny smile tugged at his lips.

“Yes, I've got your location! Ganondorf-”

“I'm on my way. Looks like you found something important, wouldn't be wedged all the way down there if it wasn't.”

“I think I pissed off your friend,” Link rasped. He could almost hear Ganondorf's frown.

“What?”

“I guess he thought you were someone named Geren. I disabused him of the notion, he disabused me of my general health.” 

“Are you okay?”

“Not great, really, but I'll live,” he assured the FAIRY. Through the visor, he could see that the internal systems of the armor were kicking in, and stopgap measures being applied to keep him from bleeding out.

“We'll both need a patch up after this,” Ganondorf said. “I think I found the way out. The rail line Navi mentioned looks operable still.”

“Some good news, at least. Why the hell did we even come here?”

“It's connected to the main site, so can it.”

“Rude. I could be dying, Ganondorf.”

“If you can still spew bullshit like that, you're fine. Ganondorf out.” Link made a face and leaned his head back against the wall. 

A few minutes later, he was feeling a little foggy from the pain meds being pumped into him through the armor, and Ganondorf was striding into the bright room. He arched an eyebrow at him, and Link smirked.

“Fancy meeting you here.” Ganondorf shook his head and looked around.

“Gear?”

“Seems like. Stock up? Doesn't seem like my current gear is up to snuff against a Gibdo apparently.”

“A...what?”

“Seriously Link?” Navi groused. Link shrugged.

“Blame the pain, Nav. It's an old fairy tale people used to use to get kids to behave,” he explained. Ganondorf frowned.

“Your parents threatened you with murderous super soldiers?”

“Nah, just sun worshiping reptilians that would feed you to giant ritual fires underground if you misbehaved.” He looked over at the rifle he'd discarded and hopped out of the alcove to pick it up.

“So.”

“Operative Master?” He blinked and turned to the console. The screen was taken up by a familiar face.

“Great FAIRY?”

“Ah. You've met one of my sisters. I am the Great FAIRY of Power. I was entrusted with this series of Trine sites. I see there's been some damage to this location. Is there something I can do to help?” Link threw a glance at Ganondorf.

“I needs specs on all of the projects in here, and...you wouldn't happen to have a workshop around here with any inventory?”

“This was a fabrication site. I'm sure I can find something to suit your needs, Operative. Senior Engineer, how may I assist you?” Ganondorf flinched.

“I want background on this site and its projects, and a search of the reference subject name Geren.”

“Understood.” The face flashed away. Link turned the rifle over in his hands.

“Senior Engineer, huh? You're looking good for two hundred.”

“Thanks,” Ganondorf said, bone dry. “You aren't half bad yourself. So it's not just me it recognized when we came in.”

“Nope. This happened in the lab under HQ too. Maybe Saria will have answers.” His attention returned to the rifle, specs flashing up on his visor. 

“Who the hell needs a gun that shoots steel bolts encasing... _acid_? And whatever that stuff that froze the Gibdo was.”

“Liquid nitrogen, most likely,” Navi said. “There's also incendiary bolts? I wonder what else you can do with it.”

“Apparently it has alternate modes. No idea what that means.” He hefted it.

“It's really light. This sort of firepower should have some weight, you'd think.” Ganondorf shrugged, pulling another rifle down from the wall.

“It looks like these were the finalized versions. Prototypes aren't on site.” He looked to Link.

“Why do we need a workshop?”

“Need to juryrig a rebreather. Mine got trashed by your buddy.” Link holstered the rifle, starting a little when it folded up across his back.

“Huh. Cool.”

“Operative Masters, I have an active repair station prepared for you. The information you requested is here, Senior Engineer.” Pale panels slid back to reveal a small divot cradling a tiny drive. Ganondorf palmed it and turned back to Link.

“Take point.”

“Got it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...:) I Swear. They'll get out. Next chapter. :)


	16. Chapter 13

Ganondorf glared at the door, piled high with every bit of debris they could shift in front of it, while Link swore behind him, struggling with a welding tool.   
“We don't have all day, Hylian.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it! Did you pick up more medical supplies?”

“Yes. We need to head back to where the...Gibdo left me. It ran – probably has other safe spots.”

“I didn't – they might come back.”

“We're prepared.”

“Sort of,” Navi muttered. “I've reviewed the files regarding the project it was involved in. It won't go down easily.”

“Do we have to kill them?” Ganondorf glanced at Link. He chewed his bottom lip, frowning.

“They've suffered enough,” he murmured. Ganondorf sighed.

“I wouldn't want to live like this. Would you?” Blue eyes widened, then hardened.

“No. No, you're right.” He turned back to the workbench, tossed the tool he'd been using to the side, and latched the rugged looking rebreather on before giving Ganondorf a thumbs up.

“Alright. Let's move.” He hefted the light rifle and gestured to the door. Link trotted past him and shoved the majority of the mess aside, kicking bits away before activating the hacked lock.

“Navi, can you drop the lights?”

“Lowering lights.” The hall dimmed, barely lit by a dim glow. Emergency lights looked like a pathway of stars ahead of them. Their footfalls were a little muffled, and the air hummed around them.

“Take this left,” Navi advised. Compared to the silence, the site all but rang with sound now, a muffled cacophony that rose and fell in a jagged beat all its own. With every turn, it got a little smoother.

“Might be harder to keep tabs on the Gibdo with all the noise,” Ganondorf whispered.

“We just have to take our chances.”

“Keep down this hall,” Navi interjected. “Once you hit the bottom, Ganondorf should know where you're going. Going silent.”

“See you on the other side, Nav.” They reached the bottom, and Ganondorf took the lead. Here, the sounds were a little louder still, and the signs of neglect and destruction reached a new high. He heard Link stumble and begin to hiss something foul, only to catch in his throat.

“It – it's been-”

“Sucking the marrow of the remaining employee skeletons,” Ganondorf confirmed. Link made a sound like he might retch, but stayed close. After one more beat of silence between them, Link whispered, “It wouldn't have lasted this long on whoever was left.”

“Hylian-”

“Some of the scars had to be self inflicted,” he breathed, and this time it was Ganondorf's turn to gag.

They trekked down a series of short, twisting stairs, before Ganondorf froze, a shiver of fear skittering down his spine. Link's voice was barely more than an exhale.

“Ganondorf?”

“Listen, up ahead.” Almost too low to hear, but he _could_ – weeping. Link sucked in a sharp breath.

“It – they're here.” Ganondorf primed the rifle and nodded. 

“You should stay back-” He shot the other man an incredulous look.

“Like hell-”

“What if it short circuits you again-”

“I'm not a fucking bot, for fuck's sake-” Link's eyes went wide, and his hand snapped out to yank Ganondorf's shoulder.

“Shh!” For a moment, Ganondorf was prepared to continue arguing, but he heard it too.

No weeping.

“Shit.” They split up (instinct? Similar training? They _moved_ , and together, and that was all that Ganondorf cared about) just as the Gibdo barreled toward them with a shriek of rage. Ganondorf spun and fired, sending a bolt through the Gibdo's shoulder with a shower of sparks, before it erupted into flame. Another bolt punched into its side, and it screamed again, before scrambling down the hall.

“Well-” He was cut off by Link bolting after it.

“Fuck, Hylian!” He followed, swearing all the while.

The Gibdo was leading them deeper into the ruins, and here the new activity could turn deadly. Ganondorf twisted out of the way of an entirely unnecessary jet of steam and vaulted over more debris, giving up on keeping his irritation to himself and yelling at Link all the while. If Link had any qualms about being called the son of a ghoul licking, ever defecating vagabond, he didn't say (it probably helped that Ganondorf had slipped into his native tongue, but who's to know).

He smacked into a wall that wasn't there a second before.

“What the-” More partitions were punching free of the ground, and he could hear Link ahead of him yelping in surprise, and the ragged wails of the Gibdo beyond.

“What the fuck? Hylian!”

“What sort of bullshit is this!?” The barrier between them shook and Link swore.

“Don't kick it you idiot.”

“Shut up!” Ganondorf backed up, ignoring the stream of invectives Link was spewing and looking up and around. The barriers were all cloudy and opaque, but they didn't seem to be metal or heavy plastic, let alone glass. He poked the surface; unyielding as any of those materials though. 

“Hey, Ganondorf!”

“What?” 

“Catch!” He heard it whip over the barrier and just barely stepped back before the rope snapped over and uncoiled to hang in front of him.

“Am I coming over or-”  
“Yeah, I see a gap over here. Looks like a maze.” The rope waved in front of him, and then jerked.

“Come on already.” Ganondorf huffed and tugged the rope. With one last suspicious glance at the barrier, he hauled himself up. He heard Link grunt and felt the rope pull taut as the man on the other side braced himself. He swung back a little, ignoring the Hylian's mumbled complaint, and threw his feet out. It was easy, once he had a rhythm, to propel himself up and over with a series of kicks. He landed with a thud beside the Hylian, who squinted at him in disbelief.

“You didn't need the rope.”

“It helped,” Ganondorf shrugged, shouldering him forward. “Come on.”

Link was right; it was a maze, but not a particularly complex one. The Gibdo's howls had defaulted back to gasping sobs, broken by spat words in a dialect of Gerudian Ganondorf couldn't quite parse. He wanted to ask Link why they were even following it, but he knew the Hylian probably couldn't justify it himself. 

“Hey, does this look like-” Ganondorf stopped short of walking into Link's back, frown deepening. He could see old emergency lights winking out at them, directing all staff to the pick up point for extraction. To the right of that were two massive metal doors, one crumpled on itself and smash aside, and the other jammed open. He knew and incinerator when he saw one, so the other room...

The Gibdo circled the dark space, chest heaving, always coming back to the same slab in the second space littered with the things. Some held equipment, most were empty, but this one held a body wrapped in cloth, a crude burial mask at its side. The Gibdo picked it up and exhaled another ghastly wail, shoulders shaking. It lifted its head to look out at them, clutching the mask, before it raised it to its face. Ganondorf heard Link's breath catch, even as his own stilled in his chest.

“ _Geren_.” 

“Oh...” Ganondorf ignored Link's broken tone and lifted the rifle, even as he met the Gibdo's eyes. For all that its body was wracked with spasms, it held his gaze, and the mask never moved.

The bolt punched through its chest, and it crumpled. Ganondorf lowered the rifle and inched to its side, before crouching.

“Help me get them to the incinerator, then we'll go.” If Link heard his words falter, he ignored it, the same way Ganondorf ignored the way his hands trembled as he gathered the second body up and led the way into the incinerator room.

“Navi-”

“The incinerator runs on its own power. It won't affect the tram line. I can activate it when you're ready.” Ganondorf laid the Gibdo next to Geren, but hesitated. He could feel Link's eyes on him even as he pulled the cloth away and arranged their hands together, before carefully sliding something off Geren's body and stepping back.

“That's it.”

“Are you sure?” He blinked as Navi's form wavered over Link's shoulder. Link bit his lip.

“Navi's right. They're your people. Do you want to...say...something?” Ganondorf glanced at the two bodies.

“I think they've said everything that should have been said.” Navi looked at Link, and then nodded.

“Okay. Head to the tram line. I'll...turn this on.” Ganondorf closed the incinerator door and strode out without a backwards glance.

He still heard Navi's whispered farewell in his own tongue as he passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look. They're leaving off screen, because it's been Three Hundred Years, and I need to get the ball rolling again. This was probably a little (lot) anti-climactic, but I was too far down the sad hole to climb over to fear. 
> 
> Just a heads up, I have no idea HOW long this fic will be, but it will be Long. And probably will get dark again at some point, but I will level with y'all, I only have the haziest idea of when that'll be. I'll try to give heads up and such.


	17. Interlude: Delta-B7

…

 

…

 

…

 

_FAIRY access authorized._

…

 

…

 

…

 

**How can I help you, sister?**

 

…

 

**Understood.**

 

_Override acknowledged. Main terminal shut down. Site slated for wipe. All sensitive material is to be destroyed. Doorway Protocol initiated. Sequence – TEMPORAL._

 

Delta-B7 had finished her circuit, and like the rest of Delta-B Team, was returning to the final patrol and lockdown of the main Trine headquarters, when she received the call.

_“Delta-B7, report to the graveyard ahead of Delta-B Team. Further instruction will be delivered upon arrival.”_

“Understood, Alpha. Delta-B7 out.” She relayed her movement and orders to Delta-B1 and mounted the compact patrol bike.

The graveyard and its mausoleums – both public and private – stood as a macabre gateway between the rest of Hyrule City and the taboo space of Trine Industries' headquarters. Delta-B7 had never personally been in this part of the city before joining Kingsley's sword arm, but she couldn't say that was a loss.

_“Technicians have recorded strange energy reads in the oldest part of the graveyard.” Delta-B7 dismounted and looked around._

“Not out by Trine?”

 _“No. Investigate and return to the Corporation headquarters immediately, Kingsley will debrief you in person.”_ A skitter of alarm ran down Delta-B7's spine as she confirmed the order and signed off. Kingsley didn't deal with the rank and file – it was her Shield and its leader, Alpha, who kept everything running.

“Strange readings.” That could mean anything. She activated her own scanner, removed the filters, and began to walk. There was the usual radiation, a spike from old jewelry, and then her scanner released a piercing beep and began to smoke. Biting into her lip, Delta-B7 deactivated the scanner and removed it from the gauntlet before it could damage any of the other sensitive internal systems. The chip released more acrid smoke into the air before she ground it out into the dirt. It had been reacting to the building in front of her. Not a modern mausoleum – it looked like it should be behind the walls surrounding Trine's headquarters. She recorded her position, the scanner's response, and the time, before stepping closer.

She was on a little rise, barely more than a mound of dirt. From here she could just see over the graveyard fence, and the top of the gravekeeper's shack. This building all but blended into the wall it sat in the shadow of, all gray slate covered with minute carvings that, as far as anyone knew, meant nothing at all. She only knew it was a building because the door was retracted. Slipping her pistol from it's holster, Delta-B7 stepped inside.

The door hissed shut behind her. She shot it a hard glare. Her helm readout said she could override the mechanism with little effort, so she let it be, instead stepping further into the darkness. With night vision on, she could make out rows upon rows upon rows of low metal cabinets, a single massive metal slab beyond them, and one lone table at the front of the room. There were no other doors, no windows, and no hidden entrances registering on her readout. Just the cabinets, the slab, and the single table. She stepped up to it and nudged it with her hip. It rattled in the quiet, before shifting to the side with a soft screech of metal on stone. Stepping around it, Delta-B7 approached the first row of cabinets and tried to pull one open. It rattled but stuck shut. Her helm couldn't scan the interior. 

Cabinets lined with lead? What was even in here? She didn't seen any burial tools, embalming materials for the bodies, and there weren't any masks on the walls. She turned her attention back to the cabinet, returning the pistol to its holster, and crouched. There was no electronic lock, or even a fingerprint or retinal scanner – just a single metal latch. She flipped it free and tugged the cabinet open.

It looked like it should have been a morgue cabinet, but there wasn't anything inside. Yet her scanner wasn't able to identify any of the material makeup, not even for the outer latch. Delta-B7 sighed and turned around, only to feel her elbow catch on something, right before the sound of glass smashing on stone. She whipped around, eyes scanning the floor. There – a vial? She squinted. There didn't seem to be anything among or on the shards. It was probably just mislaid.

“Waste of time...” She turned back and strode to the door.

A cabinet whispered open behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Majora's Mask old lady laugh-


	18. Chapter 14

For all that he expected some sort of ugly, completely arbitrary catastrophe to shut down the tram lines halfway to their destination, nothing of the sort happened. He and Ganondorf reached the primary site altogether unscathed, if exhausted. Of course, they were technically stranded.

“What's the plan now?” Ganondorf paused in the middle of shaking his hair out.

“The aunts have heard of Cooperatives before apparently. This site would have been the final point in their manufacturing process.”

“So what are they?”

“Androids.” Ganondorf frowned. “After a fashion. We should be able to get some details off the network here.” Link nodded.

“Right. And getting back?” Navi chimed in overhead.

“I noticed some energy spikes while we were coming over. It looks like there's a grid prototype linked to the tram line? If I can find an energy source, I can guide Strife and Epona to us.” Link frowned.

“A grid prototype?”

“Some sort of alpha build, maybe.” Navi shrugged. “So you two look around, stick together, and when I find a terminal I can draw from, I'll get on our exit strategy.” Link looked to Ganondorf, who shrugged.

“A plan's a plan. Let's get moving.” Ganondorf raked his hair back and knotted it in a loose queue. Link shoved the jury-rigged rebreather up to sit on top of his head.

“We should find somewhere to set up base camp, and see what we can do about our wounds,” he said. Ganondorf nodded.

“I have basic plans for the site,” Navi said. “This is a transit hub, but if we head east, we should find the main door and the central hub. Easy escape, good return point while looking around.”

“We'll pick a spot we can defend if need be, or escape as a last resort,” Link said. “We can probably scavenge materials to build defenses if need be.”

“You think another Gibdo might be in here?”

“Who the hell knows, Nav. Better safe than sorry.”

“This place is in much better shape,” Ganondorf said. He tugged his helmet back on. “It looks like it's on low power, but we could feasibly turn everything back on, or just access the information we need.” He headed for the door, Link on his heels.

The transit hub was small, homey even; though old and dusty from disuse, benches laden with cushions littered the space, and there was a small bar to one side of the room.

“Think anything in here is still viable?”

“Link. Remember what happened the last time you put something strange in your mouth.” Link winced and grumbled, refusing to meet Ganondorf's eyes when he threw him a questioning look. Navi made a smug noise and flickered out.

The door led into a large covered walkway, massive windows curving up and over them as they walked. The desert shimmered out as far as the eye could see on either side of them, and Ganondorf could just make out of the curve of what must be the main site ahead of them. 

“This place is remarkably intact.” Link nodded up to the single missing pane of glass, the metal frame of the arch dripping with a bird's nest. “I would have thought the Gerudo would have reclaimed more of these places.”

“To do what? You don't raise families on blood soaked sand,” Ganondorf snapped. Link started and stared at him, brow furrowing. Ganondorf gritted his teeth and redoubled his pace, stalking toward the doors at the end of the walkway.

He all but forgot his frustration when he shoved through the twin doors. His stride shrunk and slowed as he gaped up at the sight before him.

“Whoa.” An enormous pedestal dominated this new space. Behind it was a single staircase leading up to three doors, two ramps spilling down along either side of it. Above the pedestal, hanging in silence, was a dim hologram of the Trine logo. Ancient plants sat in wide, shallow ceramic pots along the curve of the room's wall, their march interrupted at the single enormous door at the front of the room by the statues flanking it. Both cradled clear spheres, and at their feet were two large screens half hidden in the greenery. It was all framed by slants of sunlight cutting the space into colored thirds. When Ganondorf looked up, he saw the ceiling was a rough hewn stone vault with a stained glass rendition of the Trine logo at its center.

He took a hesitant step forward into one of the 'wings' sat in the shadow of the ramps, where a few tables and delicate chairs were arranged. Link joined him with a low whistle.  
“Morally ambiguous ancient corporation with ethical violations for the ages aside, Trine had excellent interior design.” Ganondorf's exasperated glare in the FAIRY's direction was weaker than intended. Link was padding up to the pedestal, eyes on the logo.

“Wow. Just, wow.” A pale light swept across the pedetal's surface, and a low voice sounded around them.

“Welcome to the Central Cooperative Synthesis Center, Senior Engineer, Operative. How may I assist you?” The logo melted into the Great FAIRY of Power's form. Navi popped up beside her a moment later, making Link start in alarm.

“Uh, Nav?”

“Ha! I knew I could do it! Uh, sorry,” she directed at the Great FAIRY. Her expression of placid neutrality didn't shift.

“Hello Navi. Is there something I can do for you?”

“We need the center's plans and an overview of the projects that were in development here before Trine's shutdown,” Ganondorf ordered. Navi shot him a little glare, but the Great FAIRY only nodded.

“I would be pleased to assist, Senior Engineer.”

“Uh, can you get us a current status report on the site as well?” Link asked. A small panel unfolded from the pedestal and rose, a holographic terminal materializing over it.

“Of course, Operative. Please, present your credentials at this terminal. I will verify the site's status.” Link blinked, frowned, and glanced at Ganondorf. Ganondorf shook his head, but Navi flared in irritation.

“I have his credentials, I showed them to you earlier!”

“Apologies, Navi. A blood test will suffice, if you are concerned.” Ganondorf's brow furrowed.

“Why would you need a blood test?”

“This site is under lockdown according the Madame Engineer Din's Finality protocols. My apologies, Senior Engineer, Operative, but it cannot be unlocked without biological material from a verified proxy or clearanced personnel.” Link stepped up to the panel, laying a hand across its surface.

“And you only need it from one of us?”

“Yes, Operative Masters. It would appear two thirds of the protocol was already disabled by NRD and DOD personnel.” Link snatched his hand from the panel.

“What? When?”

“I cannot present that information without sufficient verification of clearance, Operative Masters.”

“Leave it,” Ganondorf began, but Link was already huffing an irritable sigh and shoving his hand onto the panel again.

“Let's just get it over with – ow!”

“Apologies, Operative Masters. Clearance verified. Status update under construction. Site unlocked.” The pedestal glowed, and the orbs in the statues' hands erupted with light all their own. On the platform above, the three doors beeped unlocked. Link shook his hand, glaring up at the pedestal and then down at his palm.

“Hell. Is this...is this linked into the system?”

“Not to its fullest extent, Operative Masters. The suit, being a prototype, was never properly integrated into the system, and as of right now, the majority of the physical grid is not operational. You have direct access to NSD resources and the lowest level of company wide security and files.”

“Would have liked that information earlier...” Link muttered. Ganondorf scowled.

“Why the hell are you wearing that much Trine tech? We had armor you could have taken at the compound.”

“This serves just fine-”

“Nothing Trine makes just serves,” Ganondorf cut him off. “There's always a catch. It's usually catastrophic. You're out of your mind.” Link wheeled to face him.

“What is your problem with Trine? Besides the human experimentation, I cannot believe I just said that.” Ganondorf's eyes narrowed.

“You don't know much of anything, do you Hylian.” Link bristled, but Ganondorf was moving away, taking the stairs two at the time and disappearing into the center door.

“What is his _problem_?” Navi popped up over his shoulder and shrugged.

“He's got a point, Link.”

“No he doesn't. The city runs on Trine tech, it's _fine_. I'm not an idiot.”

“Never said you were. A little insensitive, but not an idiot.”

“I'm insensitive-!”

“A little.” She twirled in place. “You're a genius when it comes to hows but not whys, Link, and you don't ask the questions you should. That's all.” He didn't have a reply to that. He huffed and turned back to the terminal, chewing the inside of his cheek as he studied the status report on the screen.

 

Ganondorf made a small circuit of the central space and its three rooms before returning to what he assumed was the lobby. The floor plans indicated this place was an enormous ring of buildings surrounding the central hub they were currently within. The left and right doors led to security banks between the central hub and the east and west wings. The center door, however, was an information desk. The Great FAIRY was happy (or...programmed to be happy...) to assist him in accessing various program details, among other things. He'll return once they've fortified their position, but for now he needs to do a more thorough patch on the ugly wound from earlier.

He finds that Link has fabricated a pair of shelters, alarms, and a nasty looking series of trip mines is several areas around the rightmost sitting area out front. Navi sparkled into existence in front of him with a chirp and grin.

“Let me get you tuned into the security. Wouldn't want you exploding because you weren't paying attention to where you were going.”

“You did all of this?”

“Some of it was with fabrication units on site,” Link called. His voice was muffled by the shelter, and Ganondorf could hear something rattling.

“You're ready to go,” Navi said, flitting away. Link ducked back outside and beckoned.

“I went through the supplies we have on hand, and I've got some equipment from the first aid station back in the transit hub.” He'd stripped off most of the armor at some point; the greaves and boots were still in place, but Ganondorf could see a bloodied bundle of cloth he assumed was his shirt by one of the shelters. Several bruises painted his torso in a muddled patchwork, and his left side was a ragged, bloodied crevasse bitten into his ribs. He set a box on his hip and glowered at him.

“Well? Strip.”

“Your side-”

“I disinfected it, there's a mediplast patch on it. Strip. Sit.” He heard Navi snicker, but when he glanced at her, she was fluttering over the pedestal terminal, humming to herself. When he glanced back, Link was glaring at the FAIRY.

“I'm fine.”

“I'll be the judge of that,” Link said, setting the box down and nodding to the bench nearby. With a sigh, Ganondorf peeled off his gloves, the shell of the gauntlets, his jacket, armored vest, and finally the wrinkled shirt beneath it. Link squinted at him.

“How are you not roasting?” He leveled a dry look in the Hylian's direction. To his surprise, the other man turned bright red.

“It's a reasonable question! Desert!” Before Ganondorf could answer, he bustled by him, digging through the box  
.  
“Tell me what's wrong,” he waved blindly at him, still shifting through the box's contents. Ganondorf sat, and sighed.

“I told you. I'm fine. The biosink and nanite injector patched my lung. I'm just sore, a little tender.” Link, crouched in front of him, finally looked up and froze, hand suspended between them.

“Fuck.”

“It's not-” His words caught in his throat as Link's fingers skimmed across the sealed patch in a slow trail.

“He does seem fine,” Navi piped up behind them, and Link snatched his hand away, almost rocking back off his feet.

“Let's get you some immuno-boosters, and let me clean that up,” he flapped a hand at Ganondorf's chest. Ganondorf shrugged, but Link was already shoving an injector at him and gathering up antiseptic, a laser scalpel, and a mediplast packet.

“Do you want a numbing agent?” He glanced up, grimaced, and shook his head. “Stupid question, you're getting a numbing agent. Where the hell...”

“It'll be fine.”

“Just because you can deal with it doesn't mean you should,” Link said, picking up a tiny syringe and handing him an opaque packet, answering Ganondorf's raised eyebrow with, “Milk.”

“Milk?”

“Medicinally induced lenitive kinesthesia,” Navi said. “It's a short term...uh, restorative shield? Protects from infection, boosts systems, mends internal damage. If there was anything the nanites didn't patch, this should help.”

“Sounds too good to be true,” Ganondorf murmured, accepting the packet.

“You can't use too much. Really, any adult can take up to two tabs,” Link said. “Anything more than that and you get tumors. At best.” He grimaced and pushed upright, jabbing the syringe into Ganondorf's neck before he could flinch away. Under his swearing, he shoved his arms back and swiped a damp rag across his chest, trailing firm strokes along the faint red lines of his earlier patch.

“How much internal tech do you have?” Ganondorf cracked an eyelid and scowled down at him.

“What?”

“I don't want to cut into you and disrupt something.”

“It'll be fine.”

“Just tell me-”

“I can monitor his systems, Link, it's fine,” Navi cut in, hovering between them, hands on hips. Link huffed.

“What, you'll tell her but not me?”

“You don't need to know,” Ganondorf grunted. Link pointed at the signs of his patch with the deactivated scalpel.

“Pretty sure that's a sign I do. Do you feel this?” Ganondorf watched him jab a finger into his chest, and shook his head. Link nodded.

“Alright. Navi, keep an eye out. You, don't move.” Ganondorf rolled his eyes, but held still as Link activated the scalpel and followed the lines of his earlier patch. Flesh curled aside in ruddy brown panels; a glance showed the biosink was partially decomposed within him already. Link pulled what was left free with a multitool's tweezers, and began cleaning the wound. Ganondorf let his head fall back to stare at the ceiling.

There was little sensation beyond the faintest pressure, and not much in the way of sound beyond Navi's hum and the shush of antiseptic soaked cloth over his skin, broken by the pop of a bottle cap or the click of the tool. Eventually Link deemed him ready and smoothed his skin back into place, first swiping another damp cloth over the space, before tearing open the packet of mediplast. The dingy gel smoothed on clear across his chest, Link making steady, firm strokes around and over the wound. If he weren't numb, Ganondorf would feel the tugging pinch of the mediplast sealing. Instead, all he felt was the insistent pressure of Link's fingers, before the Hylian rocked back on his heels and pushed to his feet.

“You should be set. Take the milk now, one immuno-booster tonight, and the next three throughout tomorrow. I'll get everything packed up and rationed before starting...uh. Dinner? Breakfast? What time is it.” He turned to Navi, who frowned.

“It's almost the afternoon, Link.”

“Lunch. Whatever. Then we sleep. Then we scavenge. Sound good?” He looked over his shoulder at Ganondorf, who shook his head. Link's brow furrowed.

“What? Why not?” Ganondorf raised an eyebrow, leaned forward, and stabbed his finger into the other man's side. Link yelped and staggered back.

“You planning on sleeping like that? Let me put actual bandages on it. Did you take these?” He held up the packet. Link squinted up at him through watery eyes.

“Yes, you sadist. I do have some self preservation instinct!” Ganondorf couldn't quite contain his smirk at Navi's incredulous cough and Link's offended squawk in reply. Link batted him away and moved back to the shelters, gait stiff.

“I'm fine. I took something for the pain, I took the milk, I took an immuno-booster.” He paused.

“I think all of my clothing is on Epona.” He wrinkled his nose.

“Think there's any clothing around here?”

“Simple clothing can be fabricated if necessary, Operative Masters.” Ganondorf tensed at the Great FAIRY's voice, but Link beamed.

“A shirt would be great. Uh. Also, is there any way to repair this suit?”

“Yes, Operative Masters. I can direct you to a workshop on site with the necessary equipment.”

“Great. Tomorrow. Until then-”

“I'm going over the information on this site. Get some food ready,” Ganondorf said, getting up and pulling on his own sweat soaked shirt with a wince. Link wrinkled his nose, but gave a wry salute before throwing himself into rehydrating one of the ration packets he'd stashed in his armor. Navi winked out of sight, and Ganondorf redressed before returning to the information desk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're baaaaaaaaaaaaack. The plAN (gods help us) is biweekly updates on Thursdays.


	19. Chapter 15

The Great FAIRY made good on her word and directed Link to a workshop in the east wing after restoring all necessary systems to optimum power capacity. He laid out the suit and hopped up onto the table to review the damage.

The suit and the scan flickering beside it looked...well, worse for wear. At first he'd thought it was almost all cosmetic, chipped paint and a few surface scratches. But the scan showed that in combination with the damage caused by the mangling of the lost helm, the Gibdo had fried several internal systems, while Link's falls had torn up imperative connections along the spine and gauntlets. There was no way he could fix this on his own.

“Great FAIRY?”

“Yes, Operative Masters?”

“You said there's equipment on site capable of making these repairs?” The small hologram of the FAIRY lounging overhead nodded, sending out a cloud of sparkles.  
“If you separate the main components and place them within the units behind you, the damage will be repaired momentarily. Additionally, my FSD counterpart forwarded a series of upgrades that your field testing has thus far unlocked.” Link blinked.

“Upgrades? It's a prototype but there are upgrades already prepared?”

“Madame Engineer Farore was unable to implement all of the features she initially desired before the lockdown. However, with your clearance and the data collected in your time using the suit, you have qualified to apply your chosen upgrades and adapt them as you see fit.”

“There's data collection going on? When?” Link slid off the table and fiddled with the seals and latches along the suit's sides, nudging the boots and gauntlets aside. The scan dropped away, and behind him, the repair and fabrication units hissed open.

“It is a latent process integrated into all prototype software produced by Trine.”

“And you're still collecting it?”

“Of course, Operative Masters. Is there anything else?”

“No, thanks.”

“Please attend the central fabrication terminal to apply any desired changes. Until you next require me, Operative.” The FAIRY shimmered out, and Link gathered the suit pieces to drop them in the shells of the repair units. Each one glowed and sealed as he went. The central terminal came to life with a cheery burble, and unfolded two additional screens laden with the suit's specs and other technical information. Link leaned back against the table as the units began to hum, clear domes turning opaque as the repair process began.

“Hey, Navi?”

“Yeah?”

“How's Ganondorf?” She popped up beside him, hands on hips.

“Again?”

“What, I'm not allowed to be concerned?” She just narrowed her eyes, and he huffed.

“ _What_?”

“If he weren't fine, I would tell you.”

“Sure you would,” Link muttered, scuffing his bare feet back and forth. She blinked and dropped her hands.

“What? _Yes_ , I would. What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing! You're just really fast to back him when I'm just worried,” he snapped, shoving off the desk and turning to glare out the workshop's single window out into the hall. Navi buzzed just behind his ear. 

“That's what this is about? If something were really wrong, I would have said! But he really was and is just fine. Are you seriously sulking over this?” She glared. “You can't and don't _have_ to fix everything yourself. Sometimes things don't need your help.” Before he could say anything to that, the terminal chirped, and a soft monotone spoke up.

“Please review repair log, and select desired available upgrades.” Link turned back to the terminal. The repairs were almost finished, completely erasing the damage he'd taken earlier. The gauntlets had been restored and reinforced; most systems were now sandwiched between protective layers of flexible nanite infused cloth and stasis gel. Feeling a headache growing between his eyes as he reviewed the log, Link swiped it aside and pulled up the list of upgrades. His eyebrows shot up.

 

**> Helm – targeting module (FAIRY link)  
>Helm/gauntlets – navigation module  
> _Gauntlets – strength enhancement_   
>Boots – speed enhancement  
> _Boots – terrain adaptive module_  
> _Boots/gauntlets – endurance monitor/enhancement system_  
>Suit – adrenaline module  
>Suit – protection enhancement  
> _reflective plate_  
> _life support enhancement_  
>Suit/helm (integrated systems) – environmental adaptation modules  
> _high pressure module_  
>toxic atmosphere (I) module  
> _toxic atmosphere (II) module_  
>radiation (II/III) module**

 

It grew increasingly technical after that, with so much jargon he eventually started ignoring the in depth descriptions of each module. Some were software, others hardware, and most weren't even available from that site. He didn't understand exactly why you needed to go to different sites to access these, but he wasn't going to bother asking either. He selected the available upgrades and turned to his next concern.

The rifles he and Ganondorf had picked up weren't, as Ganondorf suspected, prototypes. The prototype was here in the main site, and was infinitely more bizarre than the rifle. A frame, for lack of a better word, capable of folding into different configurations to maximize specific combat applications or utilize different projectiles – such as, apparently, arrows. The specs implied that with different hard and software loadouts, the weapon could serve any number of combat purposes, and a few non-combat ones as well.

It was heavier than the rifle, more complicated than the rifle, really didn't seem to have much in common with the rifle at all. Link had dug through the site's project files, and found that while the rifles were developed using some of the prototype technologies, they were, essentially, quick fabrication weapons meant to last for maybe one altercation and nothing more. A cheap security weapon easily made and distributed throughout the company's security forces.

The units beeped and hissed open. Link gathered the armor, one eye still trained on the prototype weapon, and geared up. 

“Link? I'm going over the new upgrades, and I'm activating the targeting module.”

“Thanks Navi.” He turned to review the instructions for the navigation module on the terminal, before activating it. His palm flared gold, and a layered holographic floor plan for the central site flared to life over it. He wiggled his fingers and turned his hand to and fro, watching the map shift with his movement.

“Huh. Cool.” A small gold triangle represented his current position, according to the key on the new helm's readout. Link clenched his fist and the map dropped. He scooped up the prototype and headed out into the hall.

“Ganondorf?”

“Yes, Hylian?”

“I picked up the prototype weapon, I'm heading back to base now.”

“I'll forward any project files on it to you via Navi. When I get back to base, head to the west wing.”

“Understood.” He let the comm drop and wrinkled his nose. Navi rolled her eyes.

“You do better with a direct superior giving you a basic order and you know it.”

“He's not my direct superior, he's my grudging partner, maybe.”

“You appreciate the direction though.” He stuck his tongue out at her and trotted down the hall, fiddling with the suit all the while.

 

When he reached base, Navi opened a call between the three of them.

“I have an idea of what I need to do to get Strife and Epona here.” Link smirked at Ganondorf's deep sigh.

“And there is a catch, isn't there.” Navi gave an apologetic hum.

“The grid isn't fully active. I thought so, but...well. It does look like we can restore power though.” 

“Is that wise?” Ganondorf asked. “We don't know how far this grid extends, or what it could affect beyond this site.” 

“No, but we don't really have a choice. All our gear, most of our rations are out there, and the few maps I found indicate there's no way we could walk back, not and be in any shape to do anything afterwards.” Link worried his lip between his teeth.

“Can't say I'm keen on being stranded out here, riveting as the current company is.” His lips twitched at Ganondorf's snort.

“Let's get a better picture of this place. I haven't found anything yet that would prompt the aunts to send us here, but there's an entire section inside the compound ring we can't access until all the power is back on anyway.” Link nodded, ignoring Navi's silent laughter. He knew Ganondorf couldn't see him, thanks Navi.

“We'll draft our action plan over dinner. I'll be ready to sweep the west wing when you get back.”

“Good. I'm almost done here.” Link cut half his internal monitors for the base's security and retracted the helm, ruffling a hand through his hair. The two shelters offered the illusion of privacy neither of them really needed, he was finding. Ganondorf was used to living in close quarters with the Gerudo or in the field with his band. Link just didn't mind much one way or another, used to the semi-communal living that came with living in the outer city. He debated taking them down.

He was still considering when Ganondorf returned. 

“New plan.” Link raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“We'll go to the west wing together. I'll do the sweep, but I want you and Navi to go here.” He pulled up the compound map on one of the door terminals and indicated the area in question.

“This is, supposedly, Din's office on site.” Link folded him arms.

“Are we looking for something specific?”

“You've seen more of the information on those drives than I have. I want the two of you to cross-reference with what you learned from the Trine drive. Navi, the aunts should have uploaded a brief on what they found on the Ruby drive while we were back home.”

“Yes, I reviewed a few of the files earlier.” She looked to Link.

“You still have the prototype?” He hefted it. It folded into a deceptively small form, sat in the center of his palm. Ganondorf's eyebrows dropped, and his expression darkened.

“We should just leave it here.”

“I'd rather not,” Link shrugged. “Who knows when having it could come in handy.”

“Nothing good comes of Trine tech,” Ganondorf ground out.

“Look. You don't have to use it,” Link snapped, tying it onto the lower straps of the inexplicable harness around his hips. Navi cleared her throat.

“Actually, Ganondorf. I think it might be important to the Triforce program. There's references on the Ruby drive about a joint project between the three founders, and the prototype fits several descriptions of it.”

“But not all?” Link asked, twisting to look at her. She shook her head.

“Between the encryption and the cross coding between files I assume are on the other two drives, I couldn't make everything out. But it does sound promising.”

“One more thing we have Zelda doesn't,” Link nodded, turning back to Ganondorf. The Gerudo growled low in his throat and turned away.

“Keep the cursed thing, if you have so little clue. I'm making my sweep.” He stormed off. Link dragged a hand through his hair again and heaved a sigh.

“That went well.” Navi chimed in agreement.

“We should get over to the office and see what we can find. Once we've finished up here, we should head into the center of the compound and get the grid online.”

“Got it.” He took a deep breath and pulled the map back up via the nav mod.

“Lead the way.” The west wing was a mirror of the east, with Din's office at the far end, leading out into the center of the compound ring. To Link, it looked like the Trine compound had been built around something pre-existing, but he found nothing in the files to indicate as such. The ring's center was dominated by shiny black steel walls enclosing ancient stone, bleached by sun and worn smooth by wind and sand. The map indicated a building existed within, but beyond that, there wasn't any sign as to what the walls surrounded.

The office would be better described as a private workshop, similar to Farore's lab. There was an air of compulsive tidiness to the space – it barely looked as if it had been abandoned for hundreds of years. Every shelf, workbench, set of drawers, and the desk were organized and immaculate, besides a little dust. The desk was an arc of steel, its opening facing the door to the antechamber between the workshop and the compound's inner circle. On either side of the desk were a pair of massive terminals, a free floating power bank and several units staggered between them, sandwiched between sleek little workbenches. The back of the room was lined with archival banks besides the shelves of leather bound books.

Link stepped around the desk and into the inner arc, toeing one of the drawers packed underneath its surface. Navi fluttered over to one of the flanking terminals. 

“Uh. Great FAIRY?”

“Yes, Navi?”

“Could you help me cross-reference a series of terms and phrases?”

“Of course, Navi. Is there anything I can do for you, Operative Masters?”

“Nope,” Link sank into the floating egg chair and kicked his feet up. “I'll be fine on my own, thanks.” Navi shot him a look before winking out. Link called up the holographic interface for the desk and began digging.

Din, apparently, didn't like deleting files. Ever. Link blanched at the time stamps on some of the briefings he studied, going farther back than even the beginning of the war. Most, however, indicated that this site only came to prominence during the war proper, meant to coordinate a series of large, interconnected projects related to the project they'd stumbled across earlier. His stomach turned. The Gibdo had been the result of some of the uglier ethical breaches he'd ever heard of, and he doubted anything related to it was any better.

Chewing his bottom lip, Link thought back to the Gibdo's broken words.

_Geren_. A name – a surname, a nickname? And hadn't Ganondorf asked for results on the name searched in the system. He leaned back in the chair and commed the other man.

“What, Hylian?”

“You asked the Great FAIRY about Geren, right?” A pause on the other end of the line.

“Yes. I haven't had a chance to look at the drive.”

“Finish your sweep and meet me back here, so we can look at it together?”

“Very well.” Link dropped the comm and scrubbed a hand across his face, before pulling up the division project briefs again. He saw things he remembered from the Gibdo files, and swept those aside. Everything seemed to relate to creating the ultimate combatant or saboteur operative. The Gibdo might have been the _least_ viable option, much to Link's chagrin. He'd seemed effective enough to him. His side throbbed in agreement.

The other projects (site locations redacted, branch names redacted) were all referred to in only the vaguest of terms, assuming pre-existing knowledge of the information hinted at in each brief. The project deemed most viable and given the most resources at the central site, on the other hand, was transparent to an extreme.

 

**COOPERATIVE SYNTHESIS AND PROGRAMMING BRIEF**

**In a wartime environment, the most effective way of ensuring consistent and calculable victories is to ensure the enemy undoes itself. A war of attrition backed by a steady sabotage campaign behind enemy lines, while fortifying existing strategic points of interest offers a clear plan of attack on all fronts, and a definitively lesser risk to one's own forces and allies than a traditional engagement on an open field of battle.**

**In the current conflict and ensuing arms race, we turn ever to the amplification and conditioning of current combatant skills, in which neither side can gain a lead of any great excess over the other. This program proposes a solution – utilizing what little lead we have over our enemy while capturing crucial intel on enemy movements, locations, and technology without threatening the life and livelihood of any combatant among our forces. The Cooperative Program combines the most cutting edge of technologies accessible with subtle cloning procedures and control protocols to create the perfect soldier – one that resembles, remembers, and otherwise acts exactly as the enemy does, within the enemy's forces, undetectable and easily terminated without risk of any loss of information or life within our own forces.**

 

The language turned first exceedingly technical, and then terrifying in its clarity following. Cooperatives were androids 'synthesized' with organic tissue – any given subject's DNA – to create something that was an exact clone of the initial subject, only infinitely more deadly, intelligent, and possessed of abilities beyond the range of that initial subject. They were described as 'dissent enforcers and deep cover operatives programmed for sabotage and assassination', among other things. The brief went on to describe the programming available at Trine's discretion, at which point Link closed the file.

“Fuck. _Fuck_.”

“What is it?” Ganondorf shrugged a sling full of scavenged odds and ends to the floor and vaulted the desk to land next to him. “You look ill.”

“This was a – a cloning site. Sort of, not – they planned on taking prisoners of war and utilizing their DNA to create programmed androids carrying the POW's DNA, allowing them to infiltrate and sabotage the enemy force.” A muscle in Ganondorf's jaw twitched, but he made no reply. Link shoved himself away from the desk and shot to his feet.

“What the _fuck_.”

“The proxies!” He jumped and whirled to face Navi, who flushed pink.

“Sorry, sorry – I was following along. But the proxies! That's how they would survive hundreds of years after the war, the Founders created a trio of proxies for themselves with this Cooperative program!” Link's eyes went wide.

“Are they still here?”

“This wasn't the only synthesis center.” Link looked at Ganondorf, who nodded to the terminal.

“This indicates there was a smaller, experimental one at headquarters. If the Founders did create these proxies, they would be there.”

“Shit. Of course. But if they're in Trine's headquarters, there's no way Zelda has them,” Link said, smacking a hand on the desk.

“That...maybe they were made there, but they probably aren't there anymore.” Both men looked up at the FAIRY.

“What? Why?” Navi sighed.

“Remember? The drive, it said one proxy's location was unknown, one was redacted, and the last one was somewhere called the Blue Road.” Link sucked in a sharp breath.

“And Saria activated a location program. She might know where it is, might even know where the Blue Road is.”

“This is your Kokiri friend?” Ganondorf asked. Link nodded. Navi deactivated the terminals and floated to the door out to the inner circle.

“So that's it? We need to get back to Saria?” Link exchanged a look with Ganondorf, who nodded slowly.

“I don't think we're going to find anything else here. We should go back to the bunker, update the aunts.”

“Think your people will come out here, finish the scavenge? It's largely intact, who knows what you'll find.”

“Maybe not a normal band...a hazard retrieval team, most likely,” Ganondorf said, tone gone absent. Navi buzzed.

“Will you lead it?” His gaze refocused, and his brow furrowed.

“What? No, we have teams in place for that. I'm coming with you.” Link raised an eyebrow.

“Really?” Ganondorf leveled a dry look at him.

“Someone has to keep you from tripping into a ghoul pit, Hylian. My people are in this because of me. I'm fixing it, one way or another.” He glanced around the workshop, jaw going tight.

“I found the secondary security and power center. I'll get power in here restored, you two head back to base. How long do you think it will take you to get Strife and Epona here?”  
“Should be by late morning? I don't know Strife's specs, but Epona, certainly.” 

“It shouldn't be a problem. We'll get the grid powered up tonight, and head out tomorrow, do a final sweep while the bikes get here.”

“Why head back to base? Navi and I'll meet you outside. Ten minutes.” Ganondorf shrugged.

“Fine. Watch your back. It's Trine, nasty shit abounds when their security is powered up.”

“We will keep that in mind,” Link huffed, ignoring Navi's prim giggle over his shoulder. Ganondorf shook his head.

“Get moving Hylian. Ten minutes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -shrugs-


	20. Chapter 16

The black steel was not, in fact, steel, but mirrors. They were enormous, carved plates set together over existing stone walls. Link squinted up at them, activating his visor to shade his eyes.

“How do we get inside?” Navi idled in a lazy spiral overhead.

“There should be a security point with a terminal that will let us in nearby.” Link kicked some sand.

“And we'll be able to activate the grid inside?”

“It's the main power center for the compound, and it's linked through the desert, according to what I found in the system.”

“No idea what turning the grid on will do though, right?”

“Same as in the city, I'd think. But no. No idea.”

“Are there safeguards? A way to deactivate the grid remotely?” Link twisted to face Ganondorf. Navi drifted down to eye level.

“No. We can deactivate portions of the grid, but only at specific stations across the Wilds.”

“How big is this grid?” Link asked. “It can't span the entire Wilds.”

“I know it covers the desert and out toward the Fields, but I don't know how much further,” Navi said. “I guess we'll find out.”

“We should make note of the grid maintenance stations and upload the data to the Syndicate,” Ganondorf said, striding past. “We might be able to post bands in the area, coordinate shutdowns if something goes wrong.”

“You really think this is a bad idea,” Link said. Ganondorf snorted.

“How insightful. How can you think it _isn't_ a bad idea given what you've seen? Trine implemented it for a reason, and it had to do with the war, but no one know exactly what it was meant to do or what it _can_ do. Trusting in it is like trusting a feral ghoul not to tear you apart if you let it into your home.”

“We don't have a choice,” Navi reminded him, cutting Link off. 

“I know that. But it's on us if something goes wrong. Better to be prepared when it does.” He stormed forward. Link scowled up at Navi before trotting after Ganondorf. They circled around the mirrored wall for a few meters, before Navi called them to a halt.

“Here. I see a FAIRY port.”

“A physical one?” Link reached up to his visor. “Need me to unmount the chip?”

“Yes. I'll unlock the port. It's just ahead, I'll mark it.” They found a tiny divot glowing up ahead in the wall. Link popped the chip free while Navi coaxed the port open. It opened with a sigh, unfurling like a blossoming flower. Ganondorf watched Link press the tiny chip into the port with care, before the entire plate ground forward and to the side, revealing the security point.

“Well that's not ominous at all,” Link muttered, retrieving the chip and fiddling it back into its mount in his visor's frame. The Great FAIRY was already waiting inside, in the customary lounge of the program.

“Welcome to the synthesis center. Credentials verified, all sectors unlocked.”

“We need directions to restore power to the compound,” Navi said. The Great FAIRY nodded.

“You will need to enter the power core, located beneath the synthesis center. Please follow the route indicated.” A map flashed up on the wall to their right, the route in bright red.

“Thanks,” Link said, throwing Ganondorf a look when he only grunted in acknowledgment. 

“Will you require further assistance?”

“No, we'll be fine, thank you,” Navi said. The Great FAIRY nodded again, and winked out. A panel of the far wall retracted, revealing a dim room up ahead. Link frowned and activated his navmod. 

“I'll take point. Navi, can you widen my proximity awareness point to point by five feet?”

“Done. I'll see if I can find any low power lighting.” She disappeared, and Link and Ganondorf headed inside.

They were on a walkway encircling the space. The walls were lined with the hazy forms of tanks, and if Link squinted, he thought he could make out some sort of infirmary below.

“I think I see medical equipment,” Ganondorf murmured over his shoulder. He nodded, turning to look up at one of the shadowed tanks.

“Navi? Do we have light, or should we switch to night vision?”

“Low light, but light,” Navi said. On cue, a soft glow rose around the base of the walkway, illuminating the space below. On their level, a thin strip of barely there light lit up. Link's visor compensated for the low light a second later. 

Dull green eyes met blue.

His shout gurgled in his throat when he smashed back into Ganondorf's chest, one hand tangled in the harness the prototype weapon was tied into, the other flailing out in front of him to ward off an attacker. Ganondorf's hands caught his hip and shoulder, and Navi burst into the space beside his ear with a flash.

“What, what-! Oh. _Oh_.” The tank's inhabitant didn't shift. Her stare didn't waver.

“Fuck _me_ ,” Link rasped, jolting away from Ganondorf and twisting to back away from the tank. Ganondorf stepped into the space he vacated, one hand trailing across the tank's surface.

“Is...is she...”

“I...I'm not reading any life signs,” Navi said softly. Ganondorf nodded, eyes still on the woman in the tank. Ruddy faced and freckled, she had a pert nose and thin lips, square jaw framed by two hanks of chestnut colored hair laid neatly across her shoulders. She was swathed in white, a loose sleeveless jumpsuit of sorts, and barefoot, all suspended in the tank. He dropped his hand and looked at the screen set to the tank's right.

“Can't access these files until the power is on,” Navi said, reading his thought correctly. He nodded. Link shuddered.

“Is she one of those – what, Cooperatives?”

“I...think so?” Navi shook her head. “We won't know until power is restored to the entire center and the rest of the compound. Come on.” Link swallowed, shook himself, and trotted past, eyes set dead ahead. The entire way, he refused to glance at the tanks. Ganondorf trailed after him, with no such disregard. There were probably hundreds of tanks set into the wall. Most were full, and with an endless variety of people. Twice, he caught sight of what he thought might even be Gerudo, but shied away from looking too closely.  
Near the start of the ramp spiraling into the infirmary below, one tank was out of its alcove, tilted and rotated to allow a full 360 degree view of the person inside. Link stood in front of it, eyes wide and mouth gaped. Ganondorf came to his side, and felt a chill rush across his skin.

A man was suspended like his fellows, his back to the stairs. The beginnings of his hair were slicked forward at the crown of his head, away from a gaping space in the skull. His brain was visible, along with the metal clamps peeking out of the skull set around the frontal lobe. The entirety of the brain stem was a mess of wires encased in gel and set in a protective transparent sheath; most of the cerebellum seemed to have been replaced with synthetic material as well.

“Are they _all_ like this? Just – machines that look like people?” Link asked, expression going dark.

“It sounds more complicated than that,” whispered Navi. Ganondorf ignored them, circling around to the front of the tank. The man was a lithe figure, with a long face, chiseled features, and soft hazel eyes, as blank as the woman at the front of the building. 

“It's an organic brain,” he heard Navi explaining, and Link sputtering in horror besides.

“Why replace only some of it? And what's with the clamps or whatever those are-”

“Control.” They both looked at Ganondorf, who turned from the tank to face them, lips tight.

“If these were meant to be infiltration and saboteur units, they'd want to be able to control them. I don't doubt whatever mechanism they used is embedded in the frontal lobe, or replaces it entirely. This one wasn't finished – or maybe he was just the example for investors.” Link twitched a step back.

“Fuck. Let's get the power on and go.” He turned and trotted down the ramp, throwing a nervous glance over his shoulder when Ganondorf didn't immediately follow.

The lower level was sectioned off into little wards, each one sat behind a deactivated containment field. More tanks lined the walls here as well, but the light barely reached them. Link stayed to the center of the space, a lane that cut straight through the room and led to a large lift in the back of the room. Ganondorf glanced into the shadows as he followed; he could make out the shapes of the Cooperatives in the tanks here, but no details. The glass seemed to be fogged over.

The lift's control console was dark, save for a single yellow light in the top left corner.

“Looks like this runs on a generator system, like the low level systems in the outer ring,” Navi commented. Link jabbed the power button and bounced on the balls of his feet, ignoring Ganondorf's curious glance.

“Anything we need to know about the power core?”

“The system will require a series of preliminary priming actions, followed by a manual coordinated reactivation. I can provide instruction as needed,” came the Great FAIRY's voice from above. The lift shivered, and whispered down the shaft into the power core. Link's bouncing only became more prominent as they descended.

“Entering power core. Credentials verified. Please proceed to control station, straight ahead.” While Link all but jumped off the lift and darted down the short path, Ganondorf paused to take in their surroundings. None of the light from above filtered into the core. He could hear several barriers sealing overhead, and a glance around showed they weren't at the bottom of the shaft. Twin rails lined the walkway to the core, and below was only darkness.

“Navi, do you have an readings on what's below us?” The FAIRY floated over the rail, peering down.

“Not a one.” 

“Guys! Let's get this done!” Link leaned around the corner to wave them forward.

“I'll see what I can find,” Navi said, and disappeared. Ganondorf followed Link into the core.

The walkway blended into one that encircled the core. Above, below, and around them were thousands of cables, ports, and energy collection panels, and at the center, a dull silver sphere.

“I found the activation protocol,” Link said. He gestured to a trio of raised platforms off the circling walkway. “There's three switches that need to be primed and thrown in a specific order, and then we need to disconnect the secondary power nodes and reset the primary ones before we can turn everything back on. I have this switch primed. Grab the one on the left, I'll take right?”

“What order do we need to activate them in?”

“Left, center, right.” Ganondorf leaned over the rail.

“Where are the secondary power nodes?”

“Beneath us, but there's a control panel to disconnect and reset all of them, back there,” Link gestured across the space. Ganondorf nodded.

“Prime the switches, you throw them, I'll get the nodes disconnected and reset, and then we'll activate the core.” Link nodded and trotted to the right, Ganondorf going left.

The switch was a palm sized slab of metal that took a surprising amount of force to unlock and prime. He twisted it clockwise and pumped it three times before it clicked, and a deep gold light erupted over it. He stepped back and headed to the panel Link had indicated and activated it, eyes scanning the instructions flashing across its surface.

“Ready Ganondorf?” Link called as he trotted to the first switch. Ganondorf took a deep breath, glancing up at the darkness overhead.

“...Ready.” He heard Link grunt as he threw his weight into yanking the switch into the locked position with a wrench. Around them, something rumbled. With the second switch, lights burst across the center sphere's surface, and the walls seemed to tremble. The final switch spurred a low, deep whir, and the sigh of pneumatic clasps disengaging. The Great FAIRY's voice rang around them.

“Priming secondary power nodes for disconnection. Please hold.” Ganondorf's fingers twitched over the panel's surface, and he grimaced, curling them into fists. A series of lights winked on, blinked thrice, and then held steady.

“Secondary nodes primed. Safe to disconnect.” Ganondorf turned the dial at the bottom left corner, listening to it click, and a resounding clang answer each tick of sound.  
“Secondary power nodes disconnected. Please reset primary power nodes.” Green lights flashed overhead, and a muffled warning of a temporary blackout thundered in the synthesis center. Ganondorf input the commands for reset and activation, and flicked the little switch beside the node dial. Steam hissed, and a vibration washed across the cables around him. 

“Resetting in five...four...three...two...one...” The sphere jerked, and the cables shuddered.

“Reset complete. Core primed for activation. Please proceed to indicated platforms.” Twin hexagons slide from the walls and lowered to the walkway edges with a rasp and click of metal when they locked into place. Link met his gaze with a grimace, and headed to the one opposite him. Ganondorf moved to the second one, watching a small, flat topped pedestal rise out of the platform's center and reveal a button sat in a depression at its center.

“On three,” Link called. The Great FAIRY echoed him.

“Press the button in three...two...one...” 

A klaxon blared when he pressed the button, and lights up the shaft flickered on, the barriers dilating back into the shaft walls as they went. Link whooped and bounded to his side.

“That's it! Let's get out of here already!” Ganondorf stumbled when he flung himself onto his arm, tugging him back toward the lift.

“I'd ask what's your hurry, but-”

“Great FAIRY, I need system status updates,” Link interrupted him, yanking him onto the lift and setting it ascend.

“Of course, Operative Masters. Updates should appear on your visor readout until you disable them.” Link wrinkled his nose but called his thanks, eyes darting back and forth as he scanned the information.

“Everything is back online, and I'm seeing readings from the grid.” He stuck a hand out, palm up, and snapped. A holographic map bloomed over his fingers, and Ganondorf sucked in a breath. Link whistled.

“That's-”

“Most of the Wilds,” Ganondorf breathed. “It's everywhere.” Across the Fields, out in every direction. Some of the grid was brighter than the rest, mostly closer to the synthesis center, and some was barely alight at all, but it was all there.

“There's no way this place is powering all of that,” Link said.

“I think it's arranged in sectors.” Ganondorf licked his lips, mouth dry. “The city was the only part still on.” Link dropped the map.

“It can be automated then. We didn't activate the grid at Castle Corps., it was always on. Low powered, but on. We just patched into it as we could access it.” He frowned. Ganondorf waited, but when he said nothing, nudged him.

“Sorry, I just...we didn't know how far reaching the grid was. And now it's on, and we don't know what it does.” He winced. “Which you said.” Ganondorf didn't reply. Link sighed.  
“Just...one step at a time. We get out, we get back to the Syndicate, we plan for the next step.” The lift came to a halt, and Link stepped off, motion stuttering as he took in the center powered on.

The wards sat silent and sterile behind their humming containment fields, but it was easy to see inside. Rows of operation tables dominated each ward, sat beneath single screens glowing with lines and lines of statistics. Some showed diagrams; others, x-rays and photographs. The tables were empty. The tanks were not.

“The...the file said Cooperatives are synthesized using a specific target's DNA and Trine technology,” Link said, eyes widening as he took in the tanks.

“So they aren't just androids. They're android clones,” Ganondorf said, brushing past him to approach the nearest tank. Between this and the one beside it, he could make out only the vaguest different in bone structure – and that was it. The skeletons were black and shiny, some of the bones veined with hair thin cracks that glowed red. Further down the line, ropes of musculature came into play, some twisted with visible wires or sporting embedded nodes. The two men walked along the wall, each Cooperative base building upon the next. The digital tags beside each tank listed a name, a series of dates, and a status. 

Synthesis stage 1. Synthesis stage 2. Form morph stage 1A. Form morph stage 1B. Synthesis stage 3.

The last tank at the base of the ramp looked like a man flayed of skin. Eyes and teeth sat in a skull covered in gray and black muscle, and a thin film set with neon veins sat over that, a weak mimicry of skin. Link peered around Ganondorf, looking up at the man inside. He grinned back down. Ganondorf walked away with the shake of his head. The man's eyes followed.

Link yelped and slammed into Ganondorf's back, jerking him around to face the tank.

“What-”

“It – his – the eyes moved!” Ganondorf glared down at the Hylian.

“What do you mean, they....moved...” He followed his gaze back to the man, and watched transparent lids slid over the red eyes. His gaze snapped to the digital tag.

A tiny heart monitored beeped away under the status, slow and steady.

“Fuck. We turned the tanks back on.”

“They aren't _dead_?” A finger twitched, and Link dragged Ganondorf back.

“Out. Out, out, out, _now_.” He balked.

“What, and just leave them?” Link jerked to a halt and whipped around.

“Yes! We don't know what they might do if we let them out – if we can let them out-”

“Um.” He swallowed a violent expletive and twisted to glare at Navi.

“Where were you!?”

“Investigating. They aren't aware.”

“What? Who?” She floated over to the tank.

“The Cooperatives. It's all muscle memory. ...Programmed muscle memory, but still. There's no higher brain function on any of them. They aren't finished.” She turned back to him.  
“But we should go. I got a signal out to Epona, and between the navigational systems, I should have both bikes with us soon.” Link threw a look at Ganondorf, who nodded.  
They matched each other's pace up the ramp; Link's eyes stayed locked ahead of them, even as Ganondorf's flew over the Cooperatives they passed. Heart monitors beeped without change as they moved, but he couldn't shake the skitter of unease down his spine. Once dull eyes glittered with faint shines of ruby, twitched to and fro. Fingers twitched, chests rose and fell too rarely and too slowly. They passed into the security station, and Link shot to the single console, sealing the door behind them. Navi drifted toward the door.

“Epona estimates arrival in half an hour.”

“Let's pack base camp up and get ready to go,” Ganondorf said. Link threw a look at the sealed door and shivered.

“Yeah. Yeah, let's go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's tiny bit late because I picked up extra hours and then fell asleep right after getting home BUT IT'S UP.


	21. Interlude: City

Ruto's outer eyelid flicked open. The tank vibrated again. She frowned and shrugged free of the charging port, kicking off the tank's bottom and surfacing with a flick of her feet. The other tanks around her shuddered, ripples sending little waves over their edges. She could hear her kin rising to the surface, one after the other with soft splashes.

“What is that?”

“Not a blackout – the power is still on.”

“Ghouls?”

“This far inside the city? Never.” Ruto levered herself out of the tank and padded out of the cool stone charging bank, weaving through the other Zora emerging all around her.

“Is it an earthquake?”

“Did the Gorons disrupt the grid _again?_ ”

“Hush!” Ruto turned out into the central chamber where her father sat, machines pumping away with ghastly wheezes. The enormous Zora's eyes flicked across the Zora gathering on the balconies around him.

“Father? Are you alright?” Ruto followed a few of his attendants in a dive into the lower pools, surfacing in an arc in front of him. He heaved a rattling sigh.

“That is an old song. Older than these waters.” Ruto's brow furrowed.

“What is?”

“Listen, my daughter. Trine's symphony begins again.” His eyes narrowed, and a shudder wracked his body. His gills fluttered and flared as he sucked in massive breaths.

“Waters save us. Trine's are songs of war and wreck, death and destruction.”

 

Another veil of dust unfurled from the trembling ceiling. A deep rumble echoed through the carved halls, over the low gravelly murmurs of the Gorons.

“Not an earthquake, rock sounds all wrong-”

“That's tech, stone sure-”

“Not another blackout?”

“Ghouls don't come this far-”

“Shut it!” Darunia bellowed, shouldering his way to the front of the mob. The elders shared a look.

“It's the grid, Darunia.”

“I'm reading a massive power spike, but it's outside the city.” They nodded as one, and Darunia frowned.

“How is that possible?”

“Trine is waking in the stone,” muttered one, eyes squeezed shut. Gasps and shouts rang around the room. Darunia barked at them to be quiet, eyes narrowed at the ceiling. It shuddered, sighing dust into the air overhead. A soft chime sounded in his ear.

_“Darunia.”_

“Here, Impa.”

_“What is going on?”_

“Something outside the city. Trine tech turning on.” Impa's sharp inhalation was audible even to the onlooking Gorons.

_“Get to Castle Corps. I want a status report immediately. Call everyone in.”_

“Got it,” Darunia grunted, dropping the connection. He turned to the others and took a deep breath.

“You heard her! Get topside! We've got work to do!”

 

_Spirit Hub terminated. Primal Center online. Cooperative synthesis protocols reactivated._

 

_Warning: unauthorized synthesis protocol manipulation detected._

 

_…_

 

_Synthesis protocol halted._

He sucked in a freezing breath.

 

Zelda followed Alpha out into the dark of predawn, heels loud as gunshots in the quiet.

“Do we have any other intel on what's opened up?”

“No, ma'am. We don't know how widespread this is either, but reports suggest someone turned on the Wilds grid. We don't know how it will affect the city; engineers are on it now.”

“And Delta-B?”

“Total loss. No sign of them anywhere. The graveyard has been quarantined, but we can only theorize on what the threat is.” Zelda's lips pressed into a thin line.

“I want teams on this now, Alpha. We're so close to getting inside. This will not distract us. Put supervisors on Impa and Darunia and let them handle whatever this power spike is.” She came to a halt at his side in front of the graveyard's entrance, crisscrossed with police barriers and mobile quarantine hubs.

“I'll see to it, ma'am.” She nodded her dismissal, and strode into the graveyard. Dampe's hut was untouched, but the most recent graves were torn open. The earth gaped in uneven grins all the way back to the oldest sites, where it all stopped. Zelda clenched her gloved hands into fists and signaled her guards.

“Get me the team assigned to the headquarters entrance plan. They will get me in today, or they will wish for death.”

“Ma'am.”

 

Something howled outside. Saria flinched but kept working, tongue set between her teeth. She was so close-

“Verification required. Please present credentials.” Another print reader.

“Dammit!” She yanked at her bright green hair, squinting at the screen. Another howl. She thought it might be closer this time. Sitting back, she tried to call Navi.

“I am sorry. NAVI unit cannot be reached.”

“Dammit, dammit, dammit-” She started the shutdown process and jumped to her feet, stuffing her gear into its travel cases.

“Alert: Location protocol failed.” The Great FAIRY materialized beside her.

“Alert: Din proxy status update. Active. Enabled. Aler-” Her voice garbled, and a with a shower of sparks, she disappeared.

“What? Great FAIRY?” A series of low words, almost inaudible in the static, rumbled back at her.

“Alertindenificat _alertPRox_ pleaseenablecREDENtia-” Saria rushed back to her equipment, snapping the cases shut and gathering them into her arms.

“Power restored.” That wasn't the Great FAIRY.

“Welcome to the game! Come in, sit down, it's all fun here!” Lights flared overhead, only to gutter out.

“Welcome to Trine Industries. I am Joelle.”

“Are you ready Beth?”

“Ready Amy!”

“This is a restricted area. Please report to the nearest Joelle terminal.”

“Unauthorized system access. Activating security protocols.”

“This is a restricted area. Please report-” Something crashed in the hall beyond the door. Saria froze.

“Ms. Saria?” The Great FAIRY reappeared, and Saria swallowed a shout.

“Y-yes?”

“I am sorry.”

“What? You – why?” The FAIRY's code spun sluggishly and flashed red.

“My social interface has been compromised. Shutting down. Goodbye, Ms. Saria.”

“W-wait!”

“Security protocols active.”

 _“Where are you?”_ She sucked in a sharp breath and ran for the door. The voice followed.

_“I can't see. I can't see! Where are you!?”_ She ran faster. 

_“WHERE ARE YOU?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot to post this. -loud shrug-


	22. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link thinks of swearing as interpretive dance for the voice.

Link looked up from double checking Epona's saddlebags to see Ganondorf frowning down at a comm unit in his hand – again.

“Everything alright?”

“Fine,” came the curt reply for the second or third time. Link rolled his eyes and swung onto Epona. He waited for her to sync with Navi to update the map, ablaze with lines signifying the activated grid on his display.

“With the grid up, it shouldn't take long to get back,” Navi said. “I'm reading active security across the board. Local ghouls are in for a nasty surprise.”

“Sucks to be them,” Link snickered, and Navi snorted, rolling her eyes before winking out. Link heard Strife snarl to life behind him.

“Ready?” Ganondorf shot him a look before pulling his helm on. Link did the same and let the Gerudo hacker take the lead. With Epona drawing from the grid, Ganondorf could push Strife as fast as he wanted without worrying they might fall behind. The trip was a blur, more so than before. The horizon blurred into a single point of white/blue/brown – sand and sky and clouds swirling together in the blink of an eye. Eventually, sand compacted to stone, and the roar of the engines dropped to a hearty growl and bone deep purr. Link could see the compound up ahead, stained a deeper red gold in the setting sun.

The guard posts were empty, and the lot was vacant.

“Where the hell is everyone?” Epona hadn't even come to a full stop before Ganondorf was off Strife and storming toward the compound, not even on the lot proper yet. Link scrambled after him, legs tangling around Epona's frame before he slung himself free and trotted after Ganondorf.

“Ganondorf, wait-!” His call died on his tongue. This close, he could finally see what the incensed Gerudo man had.

Smoke.

Between the exhale of his cry and the inhale of shock, Link caught up to Ganondorf and tried to pull him back.

“Stop, we don't know if anyone is still-”

“Nabooru! Shiina?” Link winced at the break in the other man's voice. The echo hadn't even died before Ganondorf was pulling forward again.

“Geden! Aunts! We're back, I'm back! _Nabooru_!” As they drew nearer to the stone strip, Link could smell the afterburn of overclocked energy weapons fire, and see the scorch marks blasted across the ground. Spent clips littered the space, energy cartridges and old fashioned ballistic shells, but-

“No bodies. Not a lot of blood.” Ganondorf swayed in place, hands clenching at empty air at his sides. He didn't seem to have heard. Link stepped closer and squeezed his shoulder.

“Ganondorf! There was a fight, but it looks clear. We need to check the evacuation point. If they didn't leave, they'll be down there anyway, right?” Ganondorf shook himself and pulled away, straightening up.

“Sweep the transport bay and the living quarters, see if you can find a sign of what happened. Navi, scan for life signs, pull the security footage. I'll head to the point and report in from there. Move it.” He didn't wait for Link to answer, striding into the compound. Link bit his lip and reminded himself not to take offense – this was Ganondorf's family they were talking about after all. If it had been Malon and Ilia...

“I'll analyze the security footage,” Navi said, almost too soft to hear, “and see if I can get any word from Saria.”

“Okay. Keep me updated.” Link jogged down the strip toward the transport bay. Here he found the source of majority of the smoke; ruined transports, and not all of them were Gerudo. Two looked like Castle Corp. security vans. He circled them, gnawing his bottom lip.

“Navi, got some outside transports here.”

“Those...those look like Castle Corp. vehicles.”

“Yeah...” Navi crackled.

“Keep looking around, Link. We don't...want to jump to conclusions.” Link nodded, tugging his helmet off as he headed into the bay. It was almost empty – a few bikes had been left behind, and when he got closer, he caught a telltale whiff of overheated circuits.

“Decoys. Mined?”

“Probably,” Navi agreed. He trotted down the tunnel into the compound.

“Ganondorf?”

“What.”

“Any-”

“The transport is gone, the aunts flashed their lab and put the archives on lockdown. There's no one here.” Link hesitated.

“But that's good, right? They got out. There's no sign of any of the bands either, just a few mined decoys and a couple...” He trailed off. 

“A couple what?”

“Castle Corp. vans, but it wasn't our people,” Navi announced.

“Who-”

“Zelda. Those mercs of hers.” Link blanched.

“What? How? There's no way, we swept everything-”

“Did you.” Goosebumps erupted along his arms as the smooth, cold tone Ganondorf's tone took on. Link stepped out into the compound and snapped, “Yes! I was trying to get out too. We deactivated any trackers and the Syndicate has defenses. This wasn't our fault!”

“Ganondorf, we took every precaution-”

“And yet the compound is abandoned, and there's Castle Corp. junk left behind.” Link sucked in a fortifying breath and gritted out, “We didn't do this, Ganondorf. You have to trust me, I can't prove a damn thing to you right now.”

“I have the footage,” Navi chimed in. “It's definitely those mercs. Please, Ganondorf, I can see the logs, everyone got out.” There was a beat of silence on the other end of the comms, followed by a weird, low hiss, and then finally, “A beacon is up. Out in the sands. I can see the aunts' signature, Gurenish's, Nabooru's.” His sigh rang in Link's ears.

“I'm coming back up. Wait.”

 

No blood. No bodies. From either side. If the footage was to be believed – half scrubbed and corrupted with a cobbled together program meant to sweep infinitely more delicate systems than that of the Syndicate – the mercenaries had attacked, driven the Gerudo out, and split up, half following out into the desert and half staying behind to ransack of the compound. They hadn't gotten into the aunts' workshop, or the archives, and at the end of the day – just one fucking day, one day after he and the Hylian had left. They'd been gone for three, he could scarcely fathom – collected their wounded and dead, and left. No ceremony, no message, just attempted carnage and then nothing. 

“They left too quickly,” he said as the footage ended. He couldn't summon up the righteous wrath or bitter indignation he'd felt at first. It all sat as a dull stone in the pit of his stomach, a nasty blot in the hazy sea of relief he felt at his family's survival. “Had to have been looking for the drive. The aunts would have taken it with them.”

“Think they followed them into the desert, or just decided to head back to Zelda with their tails between their legs?” 

“They wouldn't have gotten far out here. Didn't see any sign of a return party, but. Even if they followed, they're on our turf. We have defenses out there, and the bands know it like we know the compound. Suicide mission in the making, if they did go after them.” Ganondorf let his shoulders slump, and rested his forehead against one fist.

“So what now?” Navi asked, tentative. “There's a protocol for this, right? You need to get to them, don't you?”

“I need to get Kingsley off our back,” he said, cocking his head to glower up at her through his hair. “This doesn't change a damn thing. If she wants to make it bloody – fine. I'll make it bloody. My family's alive, but that doesn't mean she didn't mean to kill them.” Link stirred.

“Hey. I didn't sign up for a war.” Ganondorf sneered at him.

“Who the fuck said this had anything to do with you?”

“We wouldn't be here if not-”

“I took the job. I stole the drive. I _brought you here_ , she threatened _my family_ , this is on _me_. I don't give a _damn_ if you come along or not, I am taking her down.” He turned and stormed back to Strife. Link stumbled a step after him.

“Ganondorf, dammit, stop-” The punch was a surprise. Usually they were, but Link was still more stunned than hurt at first, hand curled around his nose in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

“Fuck – what the fuck-” Navi was babbling something in his ear, but he couldn't even hear it over the roar of Strife. Still clutching his nose, Link staggered back to Epona.

“Nabi, can you get the ebac protocols – fuck fuck, _ow_.”

“I've got it Link, hold on-”

“Call the aunts – I have to-”

“Just go, I'll try to get a hold of Nabooru.” Link dug a clamp, gauze, and medical tape out of his kit, slinging a leg over Epona as he struggled to staunch the blood. She thrummed beneath him, like a question, even as he got the bleeding sort of under control. He looked like he'd been mauled and had a haphazard mask of gauze in place but he could see, so it didn't matter too much.

“Go, go, just follow Strife,” he mumbled, inputting commands and leaning in low to Epona's body. The bike whirled forward, sending a veil of dust up around him, masking the already blurring surroundings.

Ganondorf's head start wasn't worth much, except he knew where he was going and Link most certainly didn't. Only Epona's ability to track them on the reactivated grid saved him from driving into the labyrinth of stone and never coming out the other side. A quiet, detached part of his brain marveled at Strife's handling. Built for long hauls with increasing weight thresholds, it's speed and power was nearly unmatched by anything Link had seen in the city. A flare of orange caught his attention, and he snapped his eyes down to Epona's display.

 _Proximity alert level 4_. Shit.

Ghouls.

He had a moment to register the alert and the shift of the ground beneath him before Epona automatically shifted to hover and the ground crumbled. Enormous sinks of earth bloomed around him, and spiny creatures pried themselves free of the dirt, hissing. He was moving too fast to be pulled off, save for a lucky snag on their part, but ahead of him, he was running out of road – and so was Ganondorf. Gritting his teeth, he swung around, sending a nearby ghoul flying. He couldn't keep up with Ganondorf at this rate.

“Head back to the City, girl. We'll catch him there.” Epona flashed her understanding and mapped their new route. Link tried to get a hold of Ganondorf, and wasn't surprised to only get static in reply. Suppressing a wave of profanity, he directed his attention back to the road. He still had to get past the ghouls.

“Link-”

“Not now, Nav.” She materialized over the handlebars, sparking with concern.

“Do you think we'll get ahead of him? I'm not even sure he's going-”

“It doesn't matter. If he's not there, he's not there. We need to get to Saria and figure out what's next. Fuck!” He swerved as two ghouls collided and set a third flying free of the dirt towards him.

“I thought the grid had defenses!”

“It does! I don't – I'm not sure why-”

“Don't _worry_ about it, let's just get out of here alive.” He flattened himself to Epona's frame, Navi evaporating with a flash. All around him, the sun bleached rock was blurring into the spiny ghoul hides – soft brown to teeth white to sullen green to bright, vicious red and back again. Epona wove through the spinning creatures like a river through rocks, sweeping up and over spine locked groups and whirling through clouds of debris and dirt. The corridors widened and swamped with ever more ghouls, but Epona was mobile in a way they weren't, and Link wasn't afraid of getting scratched up if he got out alive.

At some point the proximity alert stopped blaring, and Epona slowed to a gentle drift. Link sat up with a wince and shot a look around him. Out of the canyons and into the Fields, with the city punched out of the half exploded mountain line in a shining burst of metal. His nose had stopped bleeding, and while his armor looked like he'd had a wrestling match with a briar patch, he wasn't really any worse for wear for the journey. Shifting back to wheels, he dropped one leg and leaned half off Epona.

“Navi, anything?”

“Nothing. We're locked out of Castle Corp., Ganondorf and Saria aren't answering.”

“Great. Wonderful.” He checked his nose and winced; tender but hopefully not broken. He peeled the mess of bloody gauze away and chucked it into the waste compartment behind the first saddlebag.

“Status?”

“Your vitals are looking fine, Epona is okay – needs a short cooldown period, but she's fine. Your nose isn't broken I don't think, but the helm can probably scan it.”

“Of course it can,” Link muttered. Navi shrugged from over the left handlebar. He sighed.

“Can you work on some system automation while we head back to the City?”

“I've got it. I'll keep trying to raise Saria.”

“Good. Let's move, girl,” he swung back into the saddle and swept a hand across Epona's handlebars. The bike purred and whispered forward. Overhead, a storm boiled, a crack of thunder its herald.

 

It was pouring rain by the time he reached the outskirts of the city's security range. Link felt waterlogged and heavy, even though the armor was completely sealed. Epona's soft sounds had taken on a distinctly slick edge, and she was all but cloaked in steam as she tried to burn the excess damp out.

“Navi, how're we looking?” He could barely see her hologram just ahead of him, just a hazy ball of white-blue light.

“I'm not seeing any signs of Ganondorf. Even the ghouls are gone.”

“Because fuck rain, right?” He sensed rather than saw Navi's unimpressed look, and leaned back.

“Where to now, then?” Navi floated closer.

“I don't know. I still can't get a hold of Saria.” Link frowned.

“Where _are_ you, sis...”

“The Kokiri is in danger.” Navi's squeal of surprise was lost in the rain and thunder, but Link's vitriolic response wasn't. The newcomer stepped out of the way of the aimless energy blast he loosed from the rifle attached to Epona's flank. Link detached it and raised it, locking his knees around Epona's emergency thrusters.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“This conversation might be better conducted out of the rain,” they said, head cocked. Link barked a laugh.

“Yeah, and I can shoot you wherever, so answer my question.” The newcomer's shoulders lifted and dropped, barely disrupting the cowl disguising their features. Link imagined the sigh was probably exasperated. 

“My name is Sheik. Please, Operative Masters. We must move quickly-”

“Where's Saria?” Those shoulders tensed, and they ducked their head.

“The Kokiri woman is not here. I will lead you-”

“What the hell do you mean she's in danger?”

“Link! We can talk out of the rain, come on!” He lowered the rifle a scant inch, expression incredulous.

“Are you insane, Nav? We don't know this person!”

“We didn't know Ganondorf either!”

“That's different-!”

“Operative Masters! We do not have _time_!” He jerked and almost bit his tongue choking down the surprised yelp as fingers curled around his wrist. Wide blue eyes met brilliant crimson, and something in his mind stuttered and skipped.

“Wha – Impa?”

“I am not the commander. Please, we must go. Your friend is in danger, and the information she has is vital to stopping Kingsley.” Link snatched his hand away.

“Shit, fine. Get on. Where is Saria?” Sheik got into position behind him with ginger care, as if uncertain how to sit and where to place his hands.

“I believe she is in the Green Road site – the sealed building behind the Greens.” Link scoffed.

“You _believe_? And it isn't sealed, we met there before.”

“You met in the entry space. I assure you, the Green Road was sealed.”

“Fine, fuck, whatever. Nav, Greens!”

“Got it.” Epona gave a wet rev and jolted forward, sending Sheik careening into Link's back with a barely swallowed yelp. Link set the rifle, safety back on, across his lap and leaned into the rush of wind and water. After a second, there was the pop of comms and Sheik's smooth voice, catching with hesitance.

“Operative Masters?”

“My name is Link. It's on syllable, relax, it's not hard.” Navi crackled in his ear and he bit back a grin.

“Of...course. Link. We need to be careful. Kingsley dispatched men to the Kokiri village two days ago, after they received the reactivated grid readings.”

“ _Shit_. Are the Kokiri alright?”

“I do not know. I have not been able to get past the mercenaries into the Greens proper.” Link rolled his eyes.

“Fuck that. You know how to fight?”

“Yes, of course, why-”

“Don't of course me,” Link snapped. “There's a pistol under your seat, stun batons on the other flank. We're cutting right through, you need to give me some cover fire.”

“I do not think-”

“Link, I'm getting radio chatter,” Navi interrupted. “It sounds like their surveillance is being scrambled. Sounds like Skull Kid's work.”

“Good old Skull Kid,” Link chuckled. “Let's do it then, make it a surprise visit.” 

“Operative-” Epona screeched forward in a burst of speed, cutting through the rain and wind and effectively cutting Sheik off again. Link couldn't hold back his whoop of laughter.

“Hold on!” They cut to the side, wound past the edge of the dead zone where Castle Corp. defenses couldn't quite reach, and sliced forward. There was only one path to the Greens from the city, but a dozen ways to get in from the Wilds, if you knew where to go – and Link would bet anything Zelda's mercs didn't. It took a couple hours, skimming along the dead zone and occasionally swerving off road altogether, but Navi reported no one knew they were coming. When he saw the glint of ancient green glass, Link slowed.

“Navi, see if you can contact Skull Kid. I think we need a music cue.” Navi snorted, and Link turned his attention to his passenger. Sheik was still plastered to his back, every muscle tensed and arms locked around Link's waist. When Link rolled his shoulders and moved to sit back, he shifted away in stiff increments, wincing.

“Loosen up. We're almost ready to go.”

“I do not think this is a good idea,” Sheik rasped, then winced and coughed, turning to muffled the sound into his fist. Link shrugged.

“Too bad. We're going.” He cracked his neck and knuckles, cataloging his weapons when Navi popped up again.

“The Kid's ready when you are. Says he's got some surprises set and friends to deliver them.”

“Excellent. Ready?”

“Always!” Navi chimed over Sheik's groan. Link shoved him back upright and set the rifle on his hip.

“Alright. Nice and easy, girl – cut through and keep us moving.” Epona rumbled and hissed before idling forward. They moved like a cascade, building speed through the wind and rain, and when they passed into the Greens, the air erupted with sound. A bright tune over mechanical laughter, the shouts of startled mercs and the raspy grind of ancient gates crashing shut one by one. Epona swerved into the first pair of mercenaries, and Link swiped them with the rifle, smashing the butt into their chests. He heard the buzz of the stun batons behind him, and a gargled yelp just under it. Leaves burst out of the ground like congealed confetti, blinding the mercenaries with mud and mulch, only for them to be set flying by hard pellet shots to the stomach and legs as Skull Kid's Scrub associates blasted free of the ground. Epona wound through the riot of sound and debris, hissing to a halt outside of Mido's house. A second later, the Kokiri in question popped up from his roof.

“Link! Give us the signal and we'll set a volley.” Link grinned up at him.

“Easy as done, Mido. Navi, get us linked in.” He swung off Epona, bringing the rifle up and shooting a merc advancing on them from across the square. Sheik stumbled away from the bike, but fired three unerring shots that each found their targets, sending the mercs crumpling to the ground with sharp cries. The rest rallied, forming a shell of shields and advancing toward Link. He tossed the rifle to Epona and unsheathed the sword and shield. Sheik came up on his other side, batons activated and crackling. Link threw him a grin.

“I'll scatter them, you hit the stragglers. Mido, volley in five.”

“PRIME!” barked Mido in reply, and Link saw flashes of FAIRY units flickering across the village rooftops. Link rolled his shoulders and set his shoulder behind the shield.

“One.” He stepped into the charge.

“Two.” He felt a breath of a breeze as Sheik swept past him.

“Three!” The mercs were shouting orders to brace.

“Four!” He could imagine the creaks of ancient slingshots, and couldn't help his grin turning toothy.

“Five! _Fire_!” He dropped to one knee at the last second, visor blacking out as the launched pellets smashed against the shields in a wave of sparks and flashes. The mercs yelped and lost formation, and Link lunged forward, smashing into the broken line. His shield caught one blinded merc in the side with his shield, kicked out the knees of his partner and smashed the shield's edge into their stomach. He brought up the shield in time to block a series of blows that aborted with a crackle and scream as Sheik jammed in batons into his attacker's back. Link pushed upright and smashed his forehead into the nearest merc's face, ignoring the way his nose jarred with the impact.

Navi flashed another volley, and another wave of stinging pellets rained into the fray. Link kneed a merc in the stomach and slung her over his shoulder into someone coming up behind him. Sheik darted to and fro, weaving through the fray with a buzzing crackle punctuated here and there by a grunt or cry of pain. Some mercs cut and ran for the gate, only to face lines and lines of Scrubs firing their own volley. Over it all, Skull Kid's tune jangled on, alongside his raspy cackle.

Link sort of assumed the mercs would give up at some point, but none of them stopped fighting until they just couldn't, unconscious or immobile. The Kokiri descended from the roofs to gather around him and Sheik, Mido shoving to the front.

“Clear out, all of you! Get the medic station up and running, let's clear out the harvest sheds from last year and get these guys tied up. Who's this.” Link shrugged, slinging his shield across his back and sheathing his sword.

“Just a guy.” Sheik frowned.

“I-”

“Have you heard from Saria?” Mido blinked, brow furrowing.

“No. She left yesterday, figured she was working on your project. What the hell is going on? She said Kingsley was up to something in the city, what's that got to do with us?”

“Honestly, nothing. Get these guys out of here and lock the Greens down. I'm going to fix this.” Mido studied him and huffed.

“Skull Kid, get Epona programmed with the route, then get down here and help me with the cameras.” He jabbed a finger at Link.

“Use the Ocarina if you need back in. You have all your gear?”

“Could use a top up on snacks,” Link said, and didn't bother stifling his laugh when Mido punched him in the arm as he walked away. 

“Operative, we must speak before we go anywhere.” Link rolled his eyes and turned to Sheik, folding his arms across his chest.

“Fine, talk.” A shadow crossed Sheik's eyes. Link could see bandages around the one visible eye, and around his fingertips, and wondered if he was a ghoul like the Kid. Impa was the only person he knew with red eyes, and she was supposed to be the last of her people.

“It...would be better if we spoke somewhere more discreet.” Navi flared.

“Hey, the Kokiri are good people! No one's going to go running to Zelda here.” Sheik's eyes crinkled with the frown Link couldn't see.

“I mean no offense to the Kokiri, FAIRY, I only-"

“Hey, she has a name,” snapped Link. “What is your problem? Why are you even here, how did you know something was wrong with Saria?” Now the other man appeared slightly panicked, but he only swallowed and continued.

“I have been following Kingsley's activities in the city. She's managed to get inside Trine's headquarters, and while she has not gotten very far, she is still a step closer to utilizing the Triforce program. With the grid reactivated, she has been able to monitor activity throughout the city and here in the Greens. She will undoubtedly have sent people to capture your friend and whatever information she has. We should hurry.”

“You don't sound like you're real sure about any of this,” Link muttered. Sheik began to speak again, but Link waved him off.

“Look. I need to find Saria regardless, so I'm going. I take it you're coming with me?” Sheik looked away, eyes flicking toward the gate.

“I...no. I only came to warn you when I could not contact you remotely. I have other business to attend to.” Link frowned, and Navi planted her hands on her hips, glaring.

“What other business? How did you even know where we were?” Sheik blinked.

“You reactivated the grid. The Great FAIRY programs can track any operatives within its bounds now.” Link's frown deepened.

“What? And they just _told you_? Then Zelda-”

“I have made some effort to block her access,” Sheik hasted to assure him, “and I will continue to. Get to the Green Road site, find your friend. I...will try to contact you when I have more information. Kingsley must not activate the Triforce program.” Link huffed a disbelieving laugh.

“You don't say? So you're just leaving.”

“I have-”

“Yeah, other business, but what does that mean-”

“Hey, Link!” He turned at Mido's call, brow furrowing.

“Need your help with this,” he kicked one prone merc. Link huffed and nodded, turning back to Sheik only to find him gone. He blinked.

“What?” Navi chimed.

“I didn't even sense him moving.” Link groaned.

“Great. Wonderful. Make a note on the list of things to worry about later. Let's go get Saria.” Navi chimed an affirmative, and Link headed over to where Mido and the others were moving the mercs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is UP buttercups? We are back, the boys are separated again because I'm not particularly nice to them, and Sheik is Extra but Awkward.
> 
> If y'all have hung around, thank you! I know we've been gone For-Ever, and things are sort of inching along, but we are absolutely working to get this updated. 
> 
> NOW! How'd we do with the fight? Too fast, too slow, needs to be broken up more? Feedback would be great. On anything, not just that. Also, I started writing this before I played FO4 and then I finished FO4 and was all Sonuva- and would you believe I forgot ghouls are a thing in Fallout. Because I did. I did right up until I went into a supermarket and those fuckers climbed in through the basement windows and almost murdered me because I was too busy screaming in terror. Anyway, my point is, there are a couple things - ghouls and Cooperatives - that probably smack of Fallout 4. That wasn't my intention but it's a thing. I'm not just...fusing LoZ and FO4 but it certainly FEELS like that sometimes, yanno.
> 
> SO that is chapter 17 and I have 18 begun and we'll see how long this will be I honestly don't know? Like. Imma be real with y'all, I know what's going to happen in the immediate and the end, but the middle is -hand wave-, so. IT'LL BE A SURPRISE FOR EVERYONE.


End file.
